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Golden State Warriors at Raptors: 3 keys to (gulp) victory?

By Brian Boake

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The Toronto Raptors return home after a deeply disappointing road trip to face the NBA’s best team, the Golden State Warriors. The California kids, currently 44-11, are in the midst of compiling one of the best regular-season records in recent memory. While their offense, led by the Splash Brothers (Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson) grab the headlines, the Warriors’ defense is likewise first-rate, allowing less than 100 points Per Game [PG]. The Raptors are struggling mightily to score these days, so it could be a long night.

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Golden State owns the league’s best plus/minus at 10.6 points PG, an absurd 4.3 ahead of the second-place Atlanta Hawks. That’s partly due to their league-leading 3-point shooting percentage of 38.9, which combined with their second-place number of makes (10.5), is clear-cut evidence of a dependence on long-distance shooting that’s paying off. Curry leads the league in attempts, while Thompson is fifth, and both fire away at a better than 40% clip. Last month, Thompson established a new NBA record for points in a quarter, with 37, which included 9-for-9 from beyond the arc. These two guys are assassins.

Feb 6, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) and guard Stephen Curry (30) talk in the third quarter of their game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 124-116. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

The supporting cast isn’t shabby either. Draymond Green is a do-everything forward, undersized yet smart and mobile. Harrison Barnes isn’t as versatile as Green, but chips in with scoring and energy. Andrew Bogut protects the rim and pulls down the rebounds. Then we get to their second unit, which is better than many team’s first. Marresse Speights certainly enjoys the Bay area; he’s having his best season at Power Forward. David Lee’s career is on the downswing, but he’s still a capable scorer, as is another veteran, Andre Iguodala. Shaun Livingston was a nice addition to their guard rotation. Ex-Rap Leandro Barbosa provides energy in the backcourt.

3 KEYS TO VICTORY

(1) James Johnson must harass Thompson without fouling him. I think Thompson is the easier of the Brothers to knock off his game. Curry’s shot release is insanely fast, and he’s highly capable at putting the ball on the floor to slash to the bucket. If I’m picking my poison, I’ll let Curry get his season average (23.7 PPG), while concentrating on Thompson.

(2) Our second unit needs to get back in gear. Terrence Ross, wherever you are, please come home.

(3) Crash the boards. The Warriors give up a lot of rebounds PG (45.2 compared to the Raps’ 42.6), so that’s a weakness we can exploit.

PREDICTION

I don’t like forecasting losses, but can’t avoid it this time. Our guys are on a 3-game losing streak. If we couldn’t handle the Pelicans when they were missing Anthony Davis, we will have its hands over-full with this bunch. Golden State 109-Toronto 99.

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