The Toronto Raptors’ first ever game in the NBA Finals couldn’t have gone much better. The first Finals game to ever be held outside of the United States was won by the hosts, with the upstart Raptors beating the Golden State Warriors by a 118-109 final.
This score gives the Raptors a huge 1-0 lead in the Finals, and put them in a position to make life tough on the back-to-back champions.
Despite the single-digit margin of victory, Toronto led for nearly the entirety of the game and never had their victory in doubt. The Raptors controlled the game and played like a mature, veteran squad despite their inexperience in the Finals.
Even more amazingly, the Raptors’ win was buoyed by an excellent performance by unheralded center Pascal Siakam. The 25-year-old Cameroonian center recorded a career-high total of 32 points on 14-17 shooting from the field. The Warriors had no answer for Siakam, who finished with 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks, in the paint.
The Raptors were also led by Kawhi Leonard, who scored 23 points and grabbed 8 boards. Marc Gasol also lent a hand with 20 points and 7 rebounds.
Golden State was unavailable to capitalize on a strong performance from Steph Curry, who scored 34 points. The Warriors appeared to miss Kevin Durant’s scoring output sorely.
The Warriors will have to react quickly in Game 2 on Sunday night if they want to avoid falling into a 2-0 series hole.
