The Toronto Raptors have had some legendary moments over the last few years, but they had never won a game by 53 points until Steve Kerr and the ragtag Golden State Warriors came to town last night.
The Warriors were stomped by the Raptors, as Nick Nurse’s squad, led by 36 points from birthday boy Pascal Siakam and a +54 plus-minus tally from Gary Trent Jr., beat Golden State by a score of 130-77. As these four stats prove, this game was somehow even worse for the Warriors than the raw score indicated.
Even though Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green all didn’t play in this game due to injuries, Kerr had enough talent on this team to beat a squad that won just one game in the month of March. At the very least, Kerr shouldn’t have lost by 53 points to a team that gave Stanley Johnson extended playing time.
Kerr was just as dejected as the rest of the Warriors fanbase, calling the night “humiliating.” With the Raptors having led by 61 points at one point, that’s certainly an apt way to describe what Siakam and the rest of the team did to Kerr’s squad.
"We just got destroyed. Not a lot to be said." - Steve Kerr on his team's loss to the Raptors tonight.
— Steven Loung (@loung_s) April 3, 2021
He also added a "humiliating" about being down by as much as 61.
The Toronto Raptors completely beat down Steve Kerr
While the Raptors had some impressive statistical achievements, Golden State had as many infamously impressive marks that deserve more examination. Kelly Oubre Jr. played in just 18 minutes, but he was a -37. How is that even possible?
The only Warriors starter with a plus-minus of -29 or better was Juan Toscano-Anderson, who didn’t even attempt a shot and was -20 in just 11 minutes of play. Rookie James Wiseman was dominated by Siakam throughout the game.
Without Curry or Thompson ready to drain shots from 35 feet beyond the arc, Kerr fell on his face, leading some to start questioning his coaching acumen.
I’m starting to question Steve Kerr coaching because when his “Superstars” don’t play the team struggle to compete let alone win a game!!! IMHO Carry on...
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) April 3, 2021
This shouldn’t take away from what was the Raptors’ best game of the season by a country mile. With Kyle Lowry out for the game and Fred VanVleet leaving in the middle of this contest, the likes of Trent, OG Anunoby, and Malachi Flynn all managed to replace their production on both ends of the floor.
Even if the Raptors are unlikely to make it to the postseason, the fact they were able to win in such dominant fashion after weeks of futility had to be a huge pick-me-up for the squad.
After their historic night, which makes an eternal optimist in Kerr completely despondent with regards to the lack of fight Golden State showed, Toronto will try to stay hot in their next matchup against the Washington Wizards.