Curry drops 37 as Warriors move to 12th straight win

OAKLAND, California – Stephen Curry scored 37 points to lead the defending champion Golden State Warriors to their 12th straight win to open the season, a hard-fought 115-110 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night (Wendesday afternoon in Manila).

 

Klay Thompson added 19 and Andrew Bogut scored 13 for the Warriors, who are off to the best start since Dallas won the first 14 games in 2002-03. Golden State needs just three more wins to equal the NBA record of 15-0 held by the 1948-49 Washington Capitols and the 1993-94 Houston Rockets.

 

It didn't come easy as Toronto fought back from an 18-point deficit and trailed by just one late in the game with the ball. But Kyle Lowry was called for an offensive foul and Curry hit two free throws to help seal the win.

 

Lowry and DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points apiece for the Raptors, who have lost five of seven following a 5-0 start.

 

Toronto fought back by getting to the foul line and the Raptors took their first lead of the second half on two free throws by Lowry midway through the fourth.

 

Bogut then then tied it for Golden State on an alley-oop from Draymond Green as Golden State got a fastbreak off the made free throw. After a Toronto turnover, Curry put the Warriors back ahead for good with his fifth 3-pointer of the night to make it 101-98.

 

Curry's sneak attack helped key a 12-0 run that gave the Warriors an 18-point lead late in the first half. Thompson started the spurt with a jumper. Curry then pounced when Jonas Valanciunas threw a casual inbound pass to Lowry. With Lowry unaware he was coming, Curry stole the ball and hit the layup.

 

Thompson then threw an alley-oop to Andre Iguodala before Thompson and Curry capped the spurt by hitting second-chance 3-pointers on successive possessions.

 

TIP-INS

Raptors: Toronto has lost the first two games on a five-game Western swing. Terrence Ross (left thumb) did not play.

 

Warriors: Curry joins Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry and Chris Mullin as the only Warriors in the West Coast Era to score at least 20 points in each of the team's first 12 games. Shaun Livingston (left hip flexor strain) sat out the game. The Warriors wore their ''The City'' throwback uniforms for the first time since March 29, 2007

 

TECHNICAL TIME

The Warriors were called for a pair of technical fouls during a timeout early in the fourth quarter. The first was given to Barbosa and then interim coach Luke Walton got one when he protested too much. Lowry made both free throws.

 

CENTER OF ATTENTION

Bogut returned to the starting lineup for the first time since suffering a concussion in the season opener. He played his first four games back as a backup to Festus Ezeli, who thrived in the starting role. Ezeli got back in quickly when Bogut committed his second foul 3:38 into the game and ended up playing more minutes than Bogut.

 

UP NEXT

The Raptors visit Utah on Wednesday (Thursday  in Manila), while the Warriors take on the Clippers in Los Angeles the next day.