Warriors outlast Raptors, improve to 21-0 as Curry and Lowry duel

The Toronto Raptors looked set to hand the Golden State Warriors their first loss of the 2015-16 NBA season on Saturday night at the Air Canada Centre thanks to a confluence of key factors. The Warriors were without starters Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut, the Raptors got one of All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry’s best-ever scoring nights, and the hosts looked to have the momentum heading into the final few minutes against a group in the midst of its longest road trip of the season. No one could blame the Warriors for falling under such circumstances.

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It speaks to the resolve and talent of the Warriors that they were able take a tough road game 112-109. The victory runs Golden State’s record-setting start to 21-0 and finishes up a season series in which Toronto tested the defending champions as no other team has to open the campaign.

Not surprisingly, the star was Stephen Curry. The reigning MVP and early favorite for this year’s honors went for 15 of his 44 points in the final 7:05 and shot 9-of-15 from beyond the arc in a characteristically great performance. These nights are now par for the course for Curry, who has seven 40-point games already this season. For comparison, James Harden led the league with 10 in 2014-15.

Yet Curry’s fabulous game should not eclipse the fact that his counterpart Kyle Lowry was just as good. The Raptors point guard went for 41 points on 14-of-26 shooting (including 6-of-10 from beyond the arc), breaking his previous career-high of 39 set last December at the Utah Jazz. The newly svelte Lowry has been one of the best guards in the East this season and looks set to represent the host Raptors in the All-Star Game this February.

Unfortunately for Lowry, one of his few mistakes Saturday arguably cost Toronto the game. Down 106-103, Lowry finished an and-one lay-up with 44 seconds remaining to allow himself a chance to tie with a free throw. He missed following a Warriors timeout, giving the visitors an opportunity to go two-for-one and make a comeback even more difficult. They didn’t get a shot off until late in the shot clock, but Klay Thompson’s missed jumper caromed off Cory Joseph’s hand and out of bounds to force a free-throw contest. Golden State made all six of their attempts after starting just 20-of-30 from the line, and the Raptors saw their last-possession desperation chance end with Curry pressuring Joseph into a turnover.

The Warriors should feel fortunate to escape with a win after logging just 15 bench points, but their ability to close out a win after an up-and-down performance speaks to the greatness of Curry, Klay Thompson (26 points on 6-of-9 from outside), and Draymond Green. The absences of Barnes and Bogut saw Luke Walton opt for variations on the Warriors’ usual crunch time with either center Festus Ezeli or the lengthy Shaun Livingston alongside the aforementioned trio and Andre Iguodala, and the results were not always great. But they found a way regardless and saw the Raptors make their share of mistakes down the stretch.

As with every narrow Warriors win, it’s an open question as to what it will take for them to lose. Sunday’s visit to the Brooklyn Nets could be trickier than it appears at first glance — Barnes will miss it, Bogut could be out again, the team could be gassed after the buildup of a road trip and the challenges of the Raptors game, and Curry could even feel some after-effects of this bump from DeMarre Carroll late in Saturday’s first half:

Then again, is anyone really going to predict a loss from this team? After 21 wins, we’ll believe that result when we see it.