The Toronto Raptors are NBA champions for the the first time in franchise history. They secured the Larry O’Brien Trophy with a 114-110 win over the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, taking the series 4-2.
Kyle Lowry came out firing, and he couldn’t miss in the opening minutes, racking up 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting to start the game. Pascal Siakam soon chipped in, and the Raptors built a quick nine-point lead, thanks to five early 3s. The Warriors weren’t going to just give up in the final game at Oracle, though, and hung around due to some nice shooting from Klay Thompson and a boost off the bench from DeMarcus Cousins.
The exciting back-and-forth action continued in the second quarter as both teams used mini bursts to temporarily take control of the game. Lowry and Siakam continued to play well for the Raptors, which was important because they weren’t getting quite the usual production from Kawhi Leonard. Despite playing shorthanded, the Warriors were able to hang around thanks to some nice minutes from Andre Iguodala, who threw down two big alley-oops to pump up the Oracle crowd. Plus, Thompson was happy to knock down free throws after being fouled twice on 3-pointers.
Early in the third quarter, the Raptors once again built themselves a decent lead, but the Warriors had yet another answer. It didn’t help Toronto that Lowry had to leave the game early in the quarter after he picked up his fourth foul on a questionable call. From there, Game 6 Klay Thompson built on his legacy with a number of huge shots — at least until he landed awkwardly on his leg following a dunk attempt late in the frame. He immediately went to the locker room, but came back to shoot the free throws, making both to a huge ovation. He then returned to the locker room to be evaluated.
Despite Thompson’s absence, the Warriors kept battling, and were able to stick with the Raptors until the final seconds, finding baskets here and there from pretty much everyone that was still healthy to play. After a late turnover by the Raptors, they even had a chance to win it in the closing seconds, but Steph Curry’s 3 didn’t go down. A bizarre sequence in the aftermath led to the Warriors calling a timeout they didn’t have, which effectively ended the game.
#MustSee: Raptors receive Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. VIDEO: https://t.co/rYQwKq25FJ pic.twitter.com/o15bvEKQ8e
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) June 14, 2019
Kyle Lowry finished with 26 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Raptors. Pascal Siakam also went for 26, while Kawhi Leonard and Fred VanVleet each added 22 of their own. Thompson led the Warriors with 30 points, and Andre Iguodala chipped in 22 points.
The team’s big off-season acquisition, Kawhi Leonard, who took this team on his back was named the winner of the Bill Russell Trophy as the playoffs MVP.
(AP)
