The Golden State Warriors are off to a slow start in the 2017-18 season. They've already suffered two defeats in the first four games, and on Wednesday night they hosted the Toronto Raptors. The Warriors were the heavy favorites to win at home against the Raptors, as they were looking for their 14th straight home victory against Toronto. Oracle Arena was once again crowded with more than 19,000 hyped Warriors fans in the stands. Toronto played without Jonas Valanciunas in this one as he was out due to an ankle injury.
Curry leads Golden State past Toronto
It was an interesting opening quarter of the game, as teams went back-and-forth in the first period. The Warriors held a 29-26 lead after the first 12 minutes of the game. Midway through the second period, the Raptors regained the lead at 43-40 but Golden State took the lead at 61-53 at halftime. Early in the third quarter, the Warriors were in front 75-65 and heading into the final period of the game, their lead was 91-86. But the Raptors didn't quit and played great in the final 12 minutes of the game. Late in the fourth quarter, Toronto led 112-109 but they couldn't hold on to the end. The Warriors closed out the game with an 8-0 run and celebrated a 117-112 win.
Stephen Curry led the home team with 30 points and five assists in 37 minutes of action. Kevin Durant added 29 points and four rebounds, while Klay Thompson contributed with 22 points and eight rebounds.
For the Raptors, it was DeMar DeRozan with 24 points and six assists who led the way. Pascal Siakam finished with 20 points for Toronto, while Serge Ibaka added 15 points and four rebounds.
Easy win for the Spurs in Miami
The San Antonio Spurs were on the road on Wednesday night as they faced the Miami Heat in Miami. The Spurs were looking to continue their winning streak and win their fourth straight game of the season. The score was tied at 30-30 after the first 12 minutes of the game, as both teams managed to score at a high rate.
San Antonio outscored Miami 26-21 in the second quarter and held a 56-51 lead at halftime. It was in the third quarter of this game when the Spurs took control and ran away with this one. They scored 32 points in the third period and held an 88-73 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Spurs had no trouble in closing out this game as they ended up with an easy, 117-100 victory. San Antonio is now at the top of the Western Conference with a 4-0 record.
LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs in this one with 31 points and seven rebounds. Danny Green finished with 15 points and seven rebounds.
Tyler Johnson was the leading scorer for the Heat on Wednesday. Johnson finished with 23 points and three assists. Goran Dragic added 20 points and four rebounds for Miami.
