Warriors at Raptors
The Toronto Raptors finished out a four-game road trip with three straight losses and have the misfortune to host the NBA-best Golden State Warriors on Friday before heading back out on the road. The Raptors get a bit of a break as the Warriors come in on the second night of a back-to-back after battling to a 110-99 loss at Cleveland on Thursday. Golden State is playing its third game in four nights and is slumping on the defensive end.
Toronto point guard Kyle Lowry had an especially tough trip and had some harsh words for himself after practice Thursday. “I’m trash,” Lowry told reporters. “I’m trying to figure it out right now. … We’re just trying to get back to our winning ways.” Lowry scored 22 points at Golden State on Jan. 2, but Stephen Curry countered with 32 and Draymond Green posted a triple-double as the Warriors cruised to a 126-105 victory.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN Bay Area (Golden State), SportsNet (Toronto)
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (44-11): Golden State had no answer on Thursday for LeBron James, who scored a season-high 42 points to lead the Cavaliers. The Warriors came into the trip tops in the NBA in field-goal percentage defense but have allowed each of the last three opponents to shoot 46.8 percent or better from the floor. Curry missed the opener of the trip with a foot injury and had a streak of 12 straight games scoring 20 or more points come to an end when he was limited to 18 on 5-of-17 shooting Thursday.
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (37-20): Toronto is holding down the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference but is just one game up on hard-charging Cleveland and needs to figure out some things on offense after failing to reach 100 points in any of the last three games and five of six. Lowry is 14-of-47 from the floor over the last three games, including 3-of-22 from beyond the arc. The All-Star guard is not getting much help from backcourt mate DeMar DeRozan, who is 17-of-50 from the field in the last three games with more turnovers (nine) than assists (eight).
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Curry has hit at least one 3-pointer in 63 straight road games — the third-longest streak in NBA history.
2. Toronto C Jonas Valanciunas is averaging 10.8 rebounds in the last four games.
3. Golden State has recorded at least 30 assists in a league-best 21 games.