Tag: Toronto Raptors

Short-handed Warriors’ effort not good enough, fall to Raptors 123-109

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Photo credit: @Raptors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, without Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Kevon Looney, fought a brave, but losing battle against the Toronto Raptors Wednesday night at Oracle Arena.  The Warriors held the lead just once in the entire contest. They led 5-4 early in the first quarter. Toronto took the lead 6-5 and never trailed the rest of the way.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr had to juggle his lineup. He had the veteran, Shaun Livingston, start in place of the injured Klay Thompson. DeMarcus Cousins started for the second game in a row. The Warriors needed Cousins to put a lot of points on the board. Cousins tallied just four points as the Raptors’ Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, and Pascal Siakam manhandled Cousins.

Steph Curry did everything he could to keep his team in the game. Curry ended the night with 47 points. He connected on six threes to keep his team close. Draymond Green with 17 and Andre Iguodala with 11 were the only other Warriors in double figures.

The Raptors had six players in double figures. They also were connecting on three-point shots. Kawhi Leonard led Toronto with 30 points. Danny Green, Kyle Lowry, and Fred VanVleet killed the Warriors as they made 6, 5, and 3, respectively.

The Raptors led 36-29 after the first quarter. They finished the first half leading 60-52. Curry led the Warriors with 25. No other Warrior player was in double figures. The Raptors scored the first six points in the third quarter and the Warriors, as hard as they tried, could not catch up. Late in the third quarter, the Raptors went on an 8-0 run, and they finished the period leading 96-83. It was more of the same in the fourth quarter. They could not get buckets when they needed them. They had shots blocked by Serge Ibaka and Toronto’s defense. The Warriors, without the firepower of Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, could not catch up. The Raptors double-teamed Curry every time he handled the ball. The Warriors were forced to take bad shots. The Raptors won 123-109 to take a 2-3 series lead.

Game Notes: The Raptors shot 52.4% from the floor and held the Warriors to 39.6%. The Raptors were 17 for 39 from 3-point range. The Warriors were 12 for 36. The Raptors made five more threes than the W’s, and that was the difference in the game.

Up Next: Game 4 of the best-of-seven series will be played Friday night at Oracle Arena. The Warriors are hoping the Durant and Thompson will be able to play. Game time will be at 6 pm.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Warriors’ Green looked as the “quarterback” of the team; A’s look to have a better week on 9-game road trip; plus more

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Photo credit: @nbastats

On Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 How key has Golden State’s Draymond Green for this Golden State team? He has been called the quarterback of the team.

#2 Green was called for a foul on the Toronto Raptors’ Pascal Siakam. It was Green who said he would stop Siakam after he scored 32 points on Green in Game 1 and got an earful from rapper Drake on the way back to the dressing room after the game.

#3 What happened to the A’s? They’ve lost five straight games after winning 10 straight and are in Anaheim vs. the LA Angels for three straight games the A’s snapped the losing streak with a win over the Angels on Tuesday night.

#4  The Philadelphia Phillies’ Jay Bruce was added to their lineup for some power, but low and behold former San Francisco Giants outfielder Andrew McCutchen, who tore his ACL and will be out for the rest of the season. The Phillies, who are in first place by a half game over the Braves, will miss McCutchen’s bat out of the lineup.

#5 Back to basketball, how does Golden State handle the absence of a couple of their key players Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant?

London Marq does the Headline Sports podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NBA Finals/Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Expect more rough and tumble basketball for Games 3 and 4

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Photo credit: @warriors

On the NBA Finals/Warriors podcast with David:

#1 The Warriors in Game 2 Toronto have to be very greatful for a go-ahead basket by Andre Iguodala that sank the Toronto Raptors 109-104.

#2 For Games 3 and 4, the Warriors come back to Oakland. Is there any chance the Raptors can pull ahead or the Warriors can clear the fence and get ahead of a unpredictable Toronto team?

#3 Warriors injuries Kevin Looney is out, Klay Thompson how long will he be out, and Kevin Durant will he be out for the rest of the series?

David Zizmor does the NBA Finals/ Warriors podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Battered and bruised Warriors find a way to beat the Raptors to even the series 1-1

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, playing without Kevin Durant who missed his seventh straight game since suffering a strained calf muscle, found a way to come back from a five-point halftime deficit to defeat the Toronto Raptors 109-104 in Toronto.

With the win, the Warriors now own home court advantage as game three, four, and six will be played at Oracle Arena. The Warriors had two more key players injured in the game Sunday night. Kevon Looney suffered a chest injury in the first half, and he did not return. The other player injured was Klay Thompson. Thompson suffered what appeared to be a thigh or hamstring injury late in the game. Thompson hobbled off the court and was wearing an ice pack, and his leg was heavily bandaged when he gave high fives to his teammates after the game. Hopefully, the damage is not too severe, and he will be able to play on Wednesday.

The Warriors knew that they did not want to leave Toronto down two games to none. The Raptors scheme on Sunday was to not let Steph get open. Curry struggled to get shots but he found his game in the second period and finished the first half with sixteen points. Klay had 18. The Warriors and Steph, in particular, have the hearts of champions. They have been down before but have always found a way to come back and win the game.

The Warriors trailed by five after the first 24 minutes of play. As they have done so many times in the past, they came out smoking to start the third quarter. They went on an 18-0 run to lead 72-59. The run was stopped when Raptors’ Fred VanVleet knocked down a three-pointer. The Warriors maintained the lead until late in the fourth quarter. They led by 12 with a little over five minutes to play. The Raptors defense stopped the Warriors cold. They scored ten straight points and held the Warriors scoreless for over five minutes. The Raptors closed the gap to 106-104. The Raptor fans were on their feet hoping the team from the North would come back and snatch the victory from Golden State. That hope was dashed when the very savvy Andre Iguodala nailed a three-pointer to ice the win. The Warriors win 109-104.

Game Notes and stats- The Warriors started DeMarcus Cousins at the center position Sunday night. Cousins played limited minutes in his first game back last Thursday. On Sunday, he was a force in the middle. Cousins played 28 minutes and had a double-double. He scored eleven points, had ten rebounds, and recorded six assists. Draymond Green had another outstanding game. He almost had a triple-double. Draymond helped out with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists. Iguodala tallied 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. His three-point shot with 5.9 seconds left to play helped win the game for the W’s. Klay Thompson led the team with 25, and Curry finished the night with 23. Klay made 4 threes and Steph hit six. Andrew Bogut played 7 minutes and scored three big buckets. Quinn Cook had three threes, and Shaun Livingston pitched in with 6.

The Raptors were led by Kawhi Leonard’s 34 points. The Warriors held Pascal Siakam, who scored 32 points in game one Thursday night, to just 12. The big man from Cameroon had 8 board. Marc Gaol was held to 6, and Kyle Lowry 13. Fred VanVleet, coming off Toronto’s bench, knocked down 17.

Game Three of the best-of-seven series will be played at Oracle Arena on Wednesday night. The game will start at 6 pm.

Raptors win Game 1 of the NBA Finals 118-109

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Toronto Raptors, playing for the first time in the NBA Finals, beat the Golden State Warriors 118-109 at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday night. The Raptors’ two players, Marc Gasol and Kawhi Leonard, who has been named Defensive Player of the Year, kept the Warriors at bay after taking the lead for good late in the first period.

The Warriors, still without Kevin Durant, put Jordan Bell in the starting lineup alongside Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson, and Steph Curry. The Warriors’ small lineup had trouble with the Raptors big men. Marc Gasol and Pascal Siakam killed the Warriors with their offense. Siakam knocked down a career playoff-high of 32 points. The young man from Cameroon played well on both ends of the court. Gasol, acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies in February, tallied 20 and he was a force on defense. The Raptors’ Kawhi Leonard, hobbled with a knee problem, scored 23 to help the Raptors to the win.

The Raptors led by four at the end of the first quarter. The Raptors extended the lead to 10 at the end of the first half. Curry was the only Warrior in double figures in the first half. The Raptors held the Warriors to just 36% from the floor. The Raptors, on the other hand, shot 50% from the floor.

The Raptors led the entire second half. The closest the Warriors came was when they closed to within three 90-87 in the fourth quarter. The Warriors’ Andre Iguodala appeared to hurt his leg late in the game. The Raptors won 118-109.

Game Notes: The Warriors had three players in double figures. Steph Curry finished with 34. He knocked down four threes. It was the sixth playoff game in a row that Curry had 30 or more points. Klay Thompson had 21 points, and Draymond Green had a triple-double with 10 points, 10 boards, and 10 assists. The Warriors bench helped but not enough. Kevon Looney had nine. Jonas Jerebko, Quinn Cook, Shaun Livingston, and Alfonzo McKinnie each had six.

DeMarcus Cousins played in his first game since tearing a quadriceps muscle in Game 2 against the LA Clippers on April 18th. He played just a few minutes and appeared to get tired quickly.

The Warriors play Game 2 Sunday night in Toronto. They will have to figure out a way to stop Siakam, Gasol, Leonard, Danny Green, and Fred VanVleet. If they should win, the Warriors will have three of the last five games at Oracle Arena.

Sunday’s game starts at 5 pm.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Giants look to end skid tonight in Miami; A’s jets are cooled drop second straight game after long win streak

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Photo credit: @sfgiants_fanly

On Headline Sports with London:

#1 The San Francisco Giants have now lost six straight games. The latest loss was on Tuesday night in Miami where they were crushed by the hosts, the Miami Marlins, 11-3. The Marlins did most of their damage with four runs in the fifth and three runs in the sixth.

#2 The Oakland A’s gave it their all, but couldn’t get their 11th straight win as the LA Angles scored twice in the top of the ninth to get a two-run lead over the A’s at the Oakland Coliseum in a 6-4 Angels win. The A’s took another loss for the second straight loss to the Angels on Wednesday afternoon 12-7 in extra innings.

#3 The San Jose Earthquakes are 5-2-6. They have won three out of their last four games and are on the road to face the DC United. The Quakes have a confidence about them that you didn’t see before.

#4 The NBA Finals are coming on Thursday night. The Toronto Raptors and the Golden State Warriors will battle in Toronto in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

#5 The Boston Bruins and St Louis Blues played some old fashion physical hockey in Game 1 on Monday night at TD Waterhouse Garden. The Blues were up by two goals until the Bruins’ Sean Kuraly scored a third period goal to snap a tie and assisted on another goal to help the B’s get a 4-2 win. The Blues and B’s battle again tonight in Boston for Game 2.

London does Headline Sports each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NBA Finals/Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Do Raptors even have a chance against Golden State?

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photo from wisconsinstatejournal.com file photo: In Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) drives on the Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcom Brogdon (13) in Toronto on May 25th.

On the NBA Finals/Golden State Warriors podcast with Dave:

#1 Much like James Harden of the Houston Rockets, will it be the same challenge for Kawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors? Will it be four or five guys versus Leonard? Will Leonard have to do all the heavy lifting?

#2 Is there any chance that this can be a balanced NBA Finals as the Warriors have dominated throughout the postseason? Do the Raptors have any advantage opening up the series at home in Toronto?

David Zizmor does the Warriors podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Bucks now find themselves tied with mighty Raptors; Blues-Bruins to battle in final; plus more

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Photo credit: @BleacherReport

On Headline Sports podcast with Tony:

#1 The tables have turned on the Milwaukee Bucks. After winning the first two games, the Toronto Raptors have won Games 3 and 4 to tie up the series 2-2.

#2 The Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo led all Bucks scorers with 25 points, but it wasn’t enough in Game 4 as the Raptors took care of business 120-102. It’s a brand new series.

#3 The San Jose Sharks, who won Game 3 on a glove-handled puck 5-4, set the St. Louis Blues on fire. The Blues came back to win three straight and win the series to move on against the Boston Bruins for the NHL Final.

#4 The New York Yankees had nearly 17 starters or key players out with injuries so the Yanks called up the reserves and they came through. The one player to admire is the Yankees’ Gleyber Torres, who has hit 10 homers in 11 games against the Baltimore Orioles.

#5 The Oakland A’s are one of the big league’s hottest teams, winning their sixth straight game and a four-game sweep over Cleveland as they head back to Oakland for a Friday night contest with the Seattle Mariners.

Tony Renteria does Headline Sports each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NBA Finals podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors look like they could go all the way; Toronto or Milwaukee on deck

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Photo credit: sports.yahoo.com

On the NBA Finals podcast with David Zizmor:

#1 From all the looks of it, the Golden State Warriors look like they can go all the way at this point. Talk about their possible opponents for the next round in Toronto or Milwaukee.

#2 The Warriors did it without Kevin Durant. What does that show as either the Raptors or Bucks are going into the NBA Finals?

David Zizmor does the Warriors podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: How much of a force are the Bucks?; Warriors look to take second game against Blazers; plus more

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Photo credit: @BleacherReport

On the Headline Sports podcast with Tony:

#1 The Milwaukee Bucks are truly a force to reckon with. The Bucks opened their series with the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night with a game one 108-100 victory in Milwaukee.

#2 The Bucks’ Brook Lopez led the Bucks in scoring with 29 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points. The Bucks have this great punch at the top of the offensive lineups.

#3 Kevin Durant not expected to be back for game two of Golden State’s playoff game against the Portland Trailblazers. We ask Tony if the Warriors will rest Durant for the rest of the series.

#4 Even with Durant out, the Warriors managed to get a 22-point win in game one. The Blazers are predicted to be overmatched in this series.

#5 The Oakland A’s went 1-8 on their last road trip, The A’s are on a nine-game trip this time and have already lost the first two games by just a run in each game. What’s lacking — hitting or pitching not closing the deal in the end of games?

Join Tony for Headline Sports each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com