Tuesday, June 11, 2019
Golden State survives Game 5, loses Durant early
Associated Press
Toronto
Stephen Curry scored 31 points, Klay Thompson added 26 and they led a season-saving surge that gave the Golden State Warriors a 106-105 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Monday night in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
The Splash Brothers combined for three straight 3-pointers in the closing minutes after Toronto took a six-point lead with under 31/2 minutes remaining in front of a raucous, red-shirted crowd.
Kevin Durant’s comeback game for the Warriors did not last long.
Durant left Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors early in the second quarter, limping off after presumably aggravating the same injury to his lower right leg that had kept him out of the Warriors’ last nine playoff games.
He got hurt on a dribble on the right wing, coming up lame on a crossover move and falling to the floor. He grabbed the back of his leg, appeared to grab below the calf and more toward the Achilles area, and needed help to limp to the bench area and more help to get back to the Warriors’ locker room. Warriors forward Andre Iguodala was on Durant’s left side as they made the long walk back to the room.
The Warriors said Durant would not return to the game and an MRI was scheduled today to determine the severity of the injury. Durant shouted an expletive as he left the floor, his frustration obvious.
Golden State cut Toronto’s lead to 3-2, sending the series back to Oracle Arena for Game 6 on Thursday.
Kawhi Leonard scored 26 points for the Raptors but couldn’t get the final shot, having to give the ball up.
The two-time defending champion Warriors were minutes away from their title reign ending, having lost Durant and a 14-point lead during an emotionally exhausting game. They had controlled Leonard for three quarters, but he scored 10 straight Toronto points in the fourth and the Raptors were close to their first championship and a celebration that would have stretched coast to coast in Canada.
But even after everything the Warriors had lost, they still had two of the best perimeter shooters in the world on the floor. Thompson hit a 3, and Curry followed with one to tie it at 103. Golden State got it back to Thompson and the Raptors lost sight of him just long enough for the tiebreaking shot with 57 seconds to go.
Toronto cut it to one when Kyle Lowry was credited with a basket and the Raptors got a final chance when DeMarcus Cousins was called for an illegal screen. Leonard had the ball but the Warriors forced him to pass and it ended up in the corner to Lowry, who was way off as the buzzer sounded.
Cousins had 14 points for the Warriors and Draymond Green finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.