Raptors Outplay the Warriors in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, 118-109

The Toronto Raptors defeated Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the NBA finals tonight, with 118-109, and recorded their first ever victory at this stage of the playoffs.

The Raptors also broke GSW’s row of four straight victories in opening games of the finals. Hosts were confident from the start until the end and were ahead throughout the whole game.

“Tonight, Game 1, we did what we were supposed to do,” Pascal Siakam said.

The forward from Cameroon was simply unstoppable, and needs to be credited the most for this victory. Siakam dropped 32 points and was unstoppable from the field. He scored 14 shots in 17 attempts, added 8 boards and 5 dimes. Without a doubt, he was the driving force of the home team.

Kahwi Leonard was supporting Siakam with 23 buckets, but having a different role when it comes to offense. The Claw was more in charge of penetrating and extorting fouls from Warriors defense. He was sent to the line 12 times, made 10 hits, and also had 8 boards and 5 assists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbn1oGhLVvQ

Marc Gasol scored 20 and was a surprise for everybody. The veteran Spaniard had 7 boards also. Fred VanVleet added 15 off the bench; Kyle Lowry added just 7 points, but with 9 assists and 6 boards.

Raptors point guard stated that he never witnessed such an atmosphere like the one from the last night at the Scotiabank Arena.

“It was pretty crazy in there tonight,” he said. “We’ve got the best fans in the NBA, and they’re just showing it every single night.”

The Warriors were close during the first half but never managed to make a push and take the lead. In the second half, they spent most of the time having a double-digit point deficit, but helpless when it comes to finding a solution for Raptors’ game.

Pascal Siakam had his way in Toronto's first-ever #NBAFinals game! 👏

📊: 32 PTS | 14-17 FGM | 8 REB#WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/4nZegyINed

— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 31, 2019

Draymond Green who posted a triple-double having 10 points, rebounds and assists, told the reporters after the match that his team played bad, but that despite all problems they still had a chance to seal this opener.

“We didn’t play very well tonight at all, and we still had a chance the entire game,” Green stated.

Steph Curry did his job, had 34 points, hit 4 threes, and was impeccable from the line hitting 14 straight free throws. Klay Thompson scored 21, and along with Green, these guys were the only ones among the Warriors with double-digit figures in the points column. Thought, we need to say that all the guys who came off the bench scored.

DeMarcus Cousins had 3 points in 8 minutes.

“They played a great game, they deserved to win,” Kerr said. “We’ve got to play better if we’re going to beat them.”

When mentioning the atmosphere, rapper Drake and Draymond Green had a conversation after the game, and it wasn’t a pleasant one, but according to both sides, there wasn’t anything special to discuss about.

“We talked. We barked a little bit, but I wouldn’t necessarily consider that a scuffle,” said Draymond.

What was noticeable after the contest when looking at the stats, is that the Warriors had 16 turnovers, compared to 10 of the Raptors. Also, the Warriors had a lower two-point shooting percentage, 22 of 27, which is 46.8%. On the other side, Raptors made 26 of 44, 69%.

This is the main reason for Toronto’s victory because they didn’t rely upon long-distance shooting but instead had Kawhi and Siakam who were playing one-on-one, and finished their actions from within the paint or around it.

Kevin Durant’s condition isn’t available, but having in mind that he flew to Toronto with the rest of the crew and that his team lost the first encounter, we might expect him back in the roster for Game 2.

Adjustments will be made, and we can expect many new things in the upcoming clash. Both Nurse and Kerr know that this is just the first game and that many things could change until the end of the series.

Game 2 is scheduled for this Sunday at 8 pm ET.