Quick Reaction: Warriors 106, Raptors 105 (Raptors lead series 3-2)

Early in the game, it was only natural to worry about Leonard. He wasn’t creating a ton of space, he was drawing short on his jumpers, and he had plenty careless turnovers. Then that all went out the window. For a second, that fourth quarter stretch was on pace to become the defining moment of his career… until it wasn’t. It’s clear he’s limited, but Leonard’s efficiency needs to come back up for the Raptors to close this out.

Really tough one for Siakam tonight, despite some moments of brilliance. Even on an off-night, four rebounds is inexcusable. For the Raptors to win this series, Siakam needs to win his matchup versus Green the rest of the way.

I got flashbacks to Timofey Mozgov in 2015 with how aggressive Gasol started the game against the Warriors’ death lineup. His offensive impact faded as the game progressed, but Big Spain continued to defend the pick-and-roll well and made a number of excellent, timely passes.

Solid outing from Lowry tonight besides his spotty shooting. His isolation game was working all night, while game management was the primary reason the Raptors stayed in it during the Warriors’ blazing hot first half.

Sadly, Green’s perplexing postseason returned tonight. You kept waiting for him to make some huge, veteran play, but he failed to contribute much of substance outside a few offensive rebounds and some solid defensive moments.

VanVleet made some extremely careless decisions early, fouling on two Curry on threes on two separate occasions and trying to force the offense a few times. But as the game progressed, FVV settled into a groove, hitting three of the game’s biggest shots during the Raptors’ critical third quarter run.

After a ‘meh’ first half that included some frustrating turnovers and fouls, Ibaka came alive in the second half. His rim protection deterred multiple Warrior drives and his impact on the offensive glass was key to the Raptors trimming Golden State’s lead.

Barely noticed him in his first half minutes, but more than made up for it in the fourth, finding Ibaka for a timely lay-in, chasing Thompson off the line a few times, and hammering a fast break dunk to swing the momentum firmly in Toronto’s favour for a moment.

Only played a minute, but made a smart decision turning down an open three to pass to Kawhi, which ultimately produced two points for Gasol later in the possession.

Made some excellent decisions throughout (starting FVV in the 2nd half, triangle and two for a possession, playing Norm most of the fourth, etc), but called a timeout in the midst of Leonard’s fourth quarter flurry when Golden State appeared ready to fold that I’m sure he’d like back.