Warriors fall below .500 for first time this season with loss to Raptors

TORONTO — The Raptors proved what has been fairly clear for the past six weeks or so: the Warriors aren’t a good enough team to pencil them in over anyone.

The Warriors are leaving The Six with their woes — and what Steve Kerr called as frustrating a loss as Golden State has had this year.

“We are not disciplined enough to win these close games,” Kerr said. “And every game is going to be close right now. We probably play more close games than anybody in the league, so we have to win in the margins. We’re not winning in the margins, and that’s coaching.”

Steph Curry forced a tough 3-pointer with 40 seconds left down one, leading to a breakaway for Toronto in crunch time. Then after they got the stop they needed, Buddy Hield air-balled a 3 that would’ve sent the game into overtime.

The Warriors (19-20) led by as much as nine in the fourth quarter, but Curry and Co. couldn’t fend off Toronto in a 104-101 defeat. The Raptors now have nine wins and the Warriors, for the first time all season, are below .500. They’re now 11-13 in clutch games.

Curry registered 26 points, seven assists and seven rebounds in the defeat. Raptors reserve Chris Boucher, a former Warrior, torched Golden State in the fourth, scoring 17 of his 18 points in the final frame.

“Everybody’s frustrated,” Kevon Looney said. “We want to win. We don’t want to be a .500 team.”

Before the game, Steve Kerr and some Warriors were talking about how in 2021, the Raptors smacked Golden State, 130-77, in Tampa Bay. It was during the pandemic and marked one of the lowest points of Kerr’s 10-year tenure. Nico Mannion, James Wiseman and Jordan Poole were the only Warriors to log at least 30 minutes and postgame press conferences were masked over Zoom.

The Warriors won a championship the next year. Now they’re trying to scale up the mountain again, fighting against harsh conditions. The peak looks higher and higher every day.

Their step down the mountain Monday came without Draymond Green, who was ruled out with an illness and lingering back injury, as well as Jonathan Kuminga and other rotation regulars.

Andrew Wiggins, playing in his first game in his hometown of Toronto since 2018, hit a pair of early 3s, but the other Warriors struggled to make the Raptors pay for selling out on Curry.

Davion Mitchell, nicknamed “Off Night” for his tenacious on-ball defense, top-locked Curry anywhere he went.

Several Warriors offensive possessions went nowhere, with the ball swinging aimlessly around the perimeter. Golden State has had a bottom-10 offense for six weeks and even the poor opponent didn’t make them look improved. The Warriors made one field goal in the last four minutes of the first quarter and scored seven points in the first five minutes of the second period.

When Curry returned, the Warriors went on a 14-2 run. As usual, everything changes when he’s on the court. With two minutes left in the half, he pulled up from the edge of the Raptors logo.

The Warriors’ starters gained some separation to begin the second half, with Wiggins losing Scottie Barnes on a crossover and sticking a 3 to make it 65-59. Golden State’s small starting-five was probably its most productive unit of the night.

Curry kept fueling the Warriors’  offense, making goggle eyes after finding Kevon Looney for a layup with a left-handed dime.

Lindy Waters III buried back-to-back 3s in the fourth, but the Raptors stayed within striking distance as Boucher punched in a vicious dunk and splashed a 3.

Curry checked in right after Wiggins bailed out a gross possession with a miracle 3, with 4:40 left in a tied game.

The two-time MVP passed Allen Iverson on the all-time scoring list with a deep 3 before freeing Kyle Anderson for foul shots with a back-screen.

But Boucher, who scored 17 fourth-quarter points, rainbowed in a 3 to knot the score with 2:50.

Anderson hit the 3 that Toronto left him open for, but a Boucher layup kept the Raptors within one. An Ochai Agbaji layup over Curry gave Toronto a 102-101 lead with 1:33 remaining.

Curry has been one of the most clutch players in the league this year and throughout his career, but misfired on a tough 3. Toronto tracked down the long rebound and leaked out for the easiest basket of the game — and what ended up being the game-winner.

The Scotiabank Arena crowd erupted as Hield’s contested 3 hit only the bottom of the net, and the Warriors’ season possibly hitting a new bottom with it.

“It’s on everybody,” Wiggins said postgame. “From the first person to the last person. Everyone can help out. Everyone can step up. The only way we’re going to get over this thing and change the outlook is if everybody, from the first person to the last person, gives a little more.”