Toronto Raptors: Three takeways from impressive win over Warriors

Without superstar Kawhi Leonard, the Toronto Raptors went into Oracle and smacked the Golden State Warriors. What were the three biggest takeaways from the statement win?

Without Kawhi Leonard, without Jonas Valanciunas for a half, at Oracle Arena, the Toronto Raptors were not supposed to win this game. The Golden State Warriors are the best team in the NBA when motivated. It didn’t matter. Toronto overcame all of those factors as they coasted to an impressive win against the Golden State.

Toronto didn’t just beat the Warriors, they dominated the entire contest. They led from midway through the first quarter on, led by double-digits the entire second half, and controlled all the major facets of the game. They were better than Golden State in all four of the NBA’s “Four Factors” — EFG%, REB%, TOV%, and FTA Rate.

While the win is certainly impressive, it’s still the regular season. If any fanbase should know not to overreact to what they see in the regular season, it’s the Toronto Raptors.

Still, every game is filled with nuggets of information, and we were able to learn more than a few things from this potential NBA finals preview.

Here are my three big takeaways:

1. Funky, critical matchups

If you’re an NBA matchup hipster, last night was your dream We saw Kyle Lowry matchup against Draymond Green and Kevin Durant against Lowry on the other end. Lowry is giving up a minimum of six inches in both those matchups and it was an interesting chess match to watch both teams try to exploit that advantage.

Draymond isn’t a post-up player. Kyle Lowry is one of the best post defenders in the NBA for his size. Nurse was hoping the Warriors would throw the ball into a Draymond post-up, taking the ball out of Curry’s and Durant’s hands. Golden State tried to attack this a couple of times. It rarely worked.

However, Kerr countered with his own weird lineup play. After halftime, Kevin Durant spent the majority of his time on Kyle Lowry. It worked relatively well. It also made life more difficult switching back to Draymond in transition, off of Kevin Durant.

With Leonard in the place of Fred VanVleet, maybe both teams return to their vanilla regular matchups. But this game proved both coaches aren’t afraid to try some unconventional matchups or defensive strategies.

2. Fred VanVleet‘s defense on Stephen Curry

Speaking of defensive matchups, Fred VanVleet played one of the best defensive games Steph Curry I’ve ever seen. Fred was locked in from the opening tip, chasing Curry around screen after screen, providing a solid contest more times than not.

According to NBA.com, FVV defended Curry on 39 possessions. During those 39 possessions, Curry scored four points. FOUR POINTS. Yes, Curry missed a few shots that typically find the bottom of the net. Still, it’s hard to call FVV’s defense anything other than remarkable.

It makes sense. Curry doesn’t overwhelm opponents with his athleticism. He beats opponents by constantly moving around screens and preying on the defenses’ smallest weaknesses. VanVleet doesn’t have the physical skill-set of most elite defenders. He does have an elite motor and mind.

It’s unlikely Nurse will start Fred in any matchup against Golden State, but if one coach is willing to swap out their traditional starting lineup, it’s Nick Nurse. FVV was spectacular against Curry last night. I’d like to see him get another crack.

3. Get Better JV

Jonas Valanciunas dislocated his thumb after a swipe-by from Draymond Green. Draymond has a history, but this was a clear basketball play. Anyone who has played or watched basketball consistently knows a swipe on a post-up is a common occurrence of basketball.

We haven’t been given an exact timetable for his return at this time, but the typical dislocation is measured in weeks rather than days or months. — Probably 4-6 as a rough speculation.

With JV out, the Raptors will need to rely on Greg Monroe or a small-ball lineup with Pascal Siakam at the five. Expect a bit of both. Monroe was brought to this team as an insurance policy. Nick Nurse is making his claim as we speak.

Make sure to check out our takeaways after every Raptors game here at RaptorsRapture.com