By: Eric He

The Golden State Warriors hung on for a 112-109 win over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday evening for their 21st consecutive victory to start the season.

Stephen Curry poured in 44 points, while Klay Thompson added 26.

The Warriors trailed 85-84 early in the fourth as the bench let a slim lead slip. Thompson and Curry hit consecutive threes and Shaun Livingston connected on a layup to give the Warriors a 92-87 lead midway through the fourth.

But the Raptors responded with a burst of their own and Lowry’s sneaky layup inside regained the lead for Toronto again with under five minutes to play. Down 98-95, Curry dropped in a tough triple to tie the game at 98-98. He made another three to give the Warriors a 102-100 lead at the 2:30 mark.

The Warriors went without a field goal for the rest of the game, but didn’t need to because they connected on their foul shots after Draymond Green was fouled. Curry sealed it with five seconds to play on a pair of free throws to put the Warriors ahead 102-99, and the Raptors turned it over on the ensuing possession.

Up by 10 at halftime, the Warriors were outscored by the Raptors 30-24 in the third quarter. Kyle Lowry had 13 points in the quarter and his three cut the lead in half at the nine-minute mark. The Warriors stayed afloat and maintained the lead with Festus Ezeli chipping in. Curry’s floater off glass put the Warriors ahead 83-79 heading into the fourth quarter.

Lowry scored 41 points for the Raptors, a career-high.

The Warriors trailed 5-0 early, but that would be the extent of their struggles. Curry knocked in his first four shots — all three-pointers — as he and Thompson scored 11 straight points to give the Warriors a 21-10 lead. That marked a 16-0 run for the Warriors in the first quarter which ended with them up 32-21.

But they let the Raptors into the game in the second quarter as Toronto capitalized on second chance points, grabbing rebounds off misses. The Raptors went on an 11-2 run to start the second, capped off by a three from DeMar DeRozan to cut the Warriors lead to 36-32.

The Warriors’ bench unit struggled in the second and the Raptors took a 43-42 lead halfway into the quarter. But still, the starters reentered and took control. Thompson, who had 19 in the half, hit a three to give the Warriors a 56-47 advantage. Another three by Thompson to end the half send the Warriors into the locker room with a 10-point lead at 59-49.