San Francisco (USA), Jan 10 (EFE) .- Reserve guard Damion Lee scored two free throws with 3.3 seconds remaining in regulation time and the Golden State Warriors won this Sunday by 106- 105 to the Toronto Raptors, in a duel of NBA champions.
Lee’s goals allowed the Warriors (6-4) to avoid the Raptors’ comeback and achieved the second consecutive victory that allows them to consolidate their winning record.
The Warriors’ victory was more valuable after their star player, point guard Stephen Curry, the team’s leading scorer, did not come into the game with the best inspiration, contributing just 11 points after missing 12 of 16 shots from the field, including 9 of 10 3-point attempts.
The star point guard had scored 143 points in his previous four games, including a career-best 62, a week earlier, against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Curry did maintain his best level in other facets of the game by grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out six assists.
While Canadian forward Andrew Wiggins, although he was doubtful until before the game began, contributed 17 points, which put him at the top of the list of seven Warriors players who had double-digit numbers.
Wiggins matched his best professional record with four blocks, helping the Warriors not squander a 17-point lead during the game.
Reserve power forward Eric Paschall with 15 points finished second highest scorer, on a night that the Warriors bench added 46 points. Lee had 13, including three triples.
While starting power forward Draymond Green was on the verge of a triple-double with 10 points, 10 assists, nine rebounds and a block.
Forward Kelly Outbre Jr., who still doesn’t have his best scoring inspiration, reached 12 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out three assists.
Warriors rookie center James Wiseman hit 5 of 7 shots from the field that left him with 10 points and seven rebounds, all of which were defensive.
Cameroonian power forward Pascal Siakam missed a jump shot when the bell rang, but finished with 25 points, leading the attack for the Raptors (2-7) who have lost 1-5 off their field.
Guard Fred VanVleet scored 21 for Toronto in a rematch of the 2019 NBA Finals that beat the Warriors in six best-of-seven games.
The Raptors challenged a foul that called point guard Kyle Lowry beyond the right side of the arc that originally would have given Lee three shots.
But it was determined in the review that the foul was before the shot to the basket, the third play that was repeated in the last 34.4 seconds. All three calls were confirmed.
Guard-forward Kent Bazemore put the Warriors ahead with 1:06 minutes left, but VanVleet responded with a jump basket on the next possession.
Curry delivered the ball with 34.4 seconds to go and that was reviewed.
Lowry missed a 3-point attempt and Golden State had one more chance with 7.6 seconds to go, with another review that determined it was the Warriors’ ball possession.
Lowry missed Friday’s game for personal reasons, but he came back and contributed 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists, which did not prevent the Raptors from losing in the end.
Toronto had won three straight games in the series, most recently defeating the Warriors to secure a playoff spot in March 2020.
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