Curry shines with 35 points as Warriors defeat Raptors
Toronto forward Anunoby exits game with sprained left wrist
Stephen Curry had 35 points and 11 assists, and the Golden State Warriors beat the visiting Toronto Raptors 129-117 on Friday night.
The high-scoring affair was close until the Warriors pulled away with a 31-point fourth quarter, securing a sweep in the season series.
Klay Thompson added 29 points, knocking down six three-pointers despite beginning the night zero for five from beyond the arc. Though Thompson played in the Warriors' 126-110 victory in Toronto on Dec. 18, the game Friday was his first time facing the Raptors at home since he tore his ACL in his left knee in the deciding Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals won by Toronto in Oakland.
Kevon Looney returned to the starting lineup and had 12 points and eight boards as six Warriors players scored in double figures.
WATCH | Curry leads Warriors past Raptors:
The Warriors have won consecutive home games after dropping four straight at the Chase Center.
"We've been teetering on either side of .500 for a very long time. I'm kind of sick of it at this point," Curry said. "[We've] got to figure out how to keep moving in the right direction and stack wins no matter how we can get 'em."
Golden State's bench outscored Toronto's 39-26, highlighted by 15 points from Jonathan Kuminga. The 20-year-old missed his first three shots from deep before making four straight threes in the final three minutes of the third quarter, giving the Warriors a 98-94 lead they did not relinquish.
Donte DiVincenzo had a career-high 11 assists and the Warriors outscored the Raptors by 24 points in his 33 minutes off the bench.
"We knew what we were coming up against, and we've had fairly good success guarding and executing, and tonight we just didn't do it," Toronto coach Nick Nurse said. "We missed a lot of communication, we just got beat physically."
Fred VanVleet had 28 points and 10 assists for the Raptors, who began their season-high, seven-game road trip 1-1. Scottie Barnes had 24 points and Pascal Siakam had 21, while Gary Trent Jr. added 17.
Precious Achiuwa contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.
Anunoby exits with sprained left wrist
Toronto forward O.G. Anunoby left the game with a sprained left wrist after being fouled by JaMychal Green and landing hard on the floor in the second quarter.
WATCH | Anunoby leaves game with sprained left wrist:
Curry was fined $25,000 US by the NBA on Friday for throwing his mouthpiece into the stands in a moment of frustration during the Warriors' 122-120 win over the Grizzlies on Wednesday. Curry was whistled for his fifth technical foul of the season and subsequently ejected from the game.
Curry received his ninth all-star nod Thursday and is the only player in franchise history with nine starts in the league showcase.
Achiuwa's double-double was his third in his last four games.
The Raptors have gone 2-7 in the first game of back-to-backs and 3-5 in the second game this season after posting winning records in both categories in 2021-22.
Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins missed his second straight game with a non-COVID illness.
The Raptors travel to face Portland on Saturday.
WATCH | Siakam powers Raptors to win over Kings on Thursday:
With files from CBC Sports
