By Matthew T.F. Harrington

When the best of the West took on the East’s Elite at Oracle Arena Friday night, the Golden State Warriors proved yet again why they shouldn’t be overlooked as candidates to host the O’Brien Trophy at season’s end. The Warriors (26-5) stayed true to their recent front-running pedigree, besting the Eastern Conference leading Toronto Raptors 126-105.

The Dubs rode starting forward Draymond Green’s first career triple-double to hand Toronto (24-9) its second-straight loss against a Western Conference foe. Green scored 16 points, pulled down 11 boards and dished out 13 assists for the team atop the standings in the West, while the Splash Brothers contributed gaudy numbers of their own.

Stephen Curry scored 32 on 10 of 18 shooting while Klay Thompson pitched in 20. Starting center Marreese Speights added 26 points over his 25 minutes of play, leaving Harrison Barnes (2 points) as the only starter to end the night in single digits.

For the upstart Raptors, reserves Greivis Vasquez (25 points) and Louis Williams (20) led the charge off the bench offensively and starting forward Amir Johnson notched the double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The Warriors held a slim five-point edge, leading 66-61 at the half but outscored the Raptors 31-23 and 29-21 in the final two quarters to pull away with plenty of breathing room for the victory. Golden State hit 49 of 92 shots from the field, good for 53.3 percent including 12 treys on 28 attempts. The Dubs limited the turnovers to just 9 Friday, well below the season average of 15.9 a game.

If the Warriors want to remain undefeated in 2015, they’ll have a tough road ahead. Golden State next draws Oklahoma City who now boasts a healthy Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in the lineup after hovering around .500 for much of the season without the superstar tandem. That game tips off at 7:30 Monday night in Oakland.