Toronto Raptors: Five best games of the 18-19 regular season

1. Toronto Raptors 131-128 (OT) Golden State Warriors – November 29

Even though the Warriors didn’t Steph Curry and Draymond Green, we got an absolute killer game in a late November game against the – at the time – reigning NBA champions.

The Raptors hadn’t defeated the Golden State Warriors since 2014, around the same time their dynasty was really catching fire. But, this was the first time in a while the Toronto Raptors looked like they could really cause a problem to the Warriors.

By record, they were playing like the best team in the NBA, with a 2.5 game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks, and the play on the court reflected as such.

What we got was a back-and-forth point laden affair, featuring the two teams that would be contesting in the NBA Finals not seven months later.

The Raptors, led by Kawhi Leonard’s 37 points and Pascal Siakam’s then-career-high of 26 points, blew the Warriors out of the water in the first quarter, putting up 38 points. The Warriors, as expected, leaned on the super scoring duo of Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson. Durant excelled, scoring 51 points on 18-of-31 shooting. He was untouchable.

The night had a playoff feel to it too, and the overtime win allowed the Raptors fans to really start believing that this could be the year. Sure, the Warriors were banged up but they did not relent, taking the game to overtime courtesy of a late fourth quarter comeback.

In a sign of things to come, the Raptors were able to outlast the Warriors on the back of Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam. It was also a peak passing game for Kyle Lowry, who dished out 12 dimes to one turnover.

The two teams who would go on to face each other in the NBA Finals started their duel in late November in a superb game. Thankfully, for the Raptors, it wouldn’t be the last time they defeated the Warriors.