Raptors at Golden State Warriors: Tuesday game preview

On paper, the tail end of a back-to-back against the upstart Wolves had the look of a trap game.

Blake Griffin added 34 points for the home side as the Clippers pulled away in the closing stages to move to 6-4 for the season.

The hope was to get Curry the ball, but understanding that the Nets were keying on him defensively, it was up to Draymond Green to take the inbounds and make a decision. Curry, after a poor shooting first half, finally found his groove in the fourth quarter and scored eight of his 34, including two big 3-pointers. The Warriors so far have shown a good sense of situational awareness – knowing when to flip the switch on their best play – but they’re increasingly leaving no margin for error. The Wolves went on an inspired 19-5 run to bridge the quarters. In the opening 132 seconds, Curry already had nine points, two steals, one rebound and one assist.

And these shots usually come in scoring bunches. Specifically, Steph Curry from outside the arch has been crucial to the team’s success.

Warriors F Klay Thompson missed the game with back tightness. When that happens, Dray has learned exactly what he can get with the resulting 4-on-3…In 2015-16, there’s a different type of interior player that has usurped the stretch 4 as an offensive trump card, and Green is its prototype. The Warriors may have lulled themselves into a risky sense of invincibility.

The Raptors also have a legitimate rim protector in Bismack Biyombo that they didn’t have a year ago and a tenacious defender in his own right in Cory Joseph coming off the bench. The first quarter has not been kind, with Toronto trailing in more than half of the 11 games.

Bogut “was awesome”, Walton said.

James Harden had 25 points and 10 assists and Terrence Jones scored 23 points for the Rockets.

Devin Harris scored 15 points as one of six Mavericks to reach double digits. His 12 assist night caps off a week where he’s been repeatedly flirting with double-digit numbers. Joe made a ideal pass. It was exactly the way the play was drawn up and so we absolutely had our opportunities.

Jabari Parker embarrassed the Cavaliers big men not once but twice. Ezeli played so well in the starting lineup that there was no timetable for Bogut’s return to the starting lineup.

We’ve all run out of adjectives to describe Curry’s dominance, so we’ve shifted to proper nouns. As long as Curry keeps his foot on the gas, the team will follow. Their games aren’t that similar, except in the degree of control they exert over the competition.

A team not doing great when its best player doesn’t perform well is not odd but with Harden not being consistent this season, Kevin McHale will have to find a way to get his team over the hump when The Beard is not sharp. Their control doesn’t just cover the court, but extends to the whole arena. That said, after that horrendous first quarter, they did demonstrate they can play a few pretty fine defense even without Thompson. Warriors PG Stephen Curry finished the night with 1,248 3-pointers, three more than his dad Dell recorded in his National Basketball Association career. Luke Walton’s interim coaching record remained flawless at 11-0 as well.

“We were going to see if it loosened up throughout the day, but it hasn’t”, Walton said. “That’s the leader of our team”. His two free throws upped the lead to 97-94, setting up Iguodala’s 3-pointer that produced overtime.