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via Imago

via Imago

The Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors went neck to neck tonight as Damion Lee converted a pair of free throws with less than five seconds left on the clock to get Golden State a 106-105 win. However, the most disappointing performance came from the Warriors’ star player, Steph Curry. After giving blockbuster performances last week, this was certainly a setback.

Pascal Siakam missed buzzer-beater

The last quarter wasn’t pretty for the Warriors. They had a double-digit lead when they entered it, but were hanging on for dear life before Lee came to their rescue. In fact, if Pascal Siakam hadn’t missed his buzzer-beater jumper, the Raptors would have won the game.

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However, Siakam still finished the night with 25 points and 11 rebounds. And surprisingly, the lead scorer for Golden State was Andrew Wiggins with 17 points, 4 assists, and 4 blocks. Even though six more Dubs finished in double-digits, their performance was far below expectations.

USA Today via Reuters

Steph Curry struggles against the Raptors

It looks like the opponents have figured out a way to make things harder on Steph. The LA Clippers had done it, and now the Toronto Raptors had a similar trap ready. The Raptors’ head coach, Nick Nurse, often had his players double-teaming on Steph. This game plan worked wonders in their favor, and Curry looked uncomfortable throughout the game.

This led to him ending the night with 2 of 16, converting just one out of ten from the arc, and adding only 11 points to the scoreboard. If it weren’t for his supporting cast’s active playmaking, they would have slipped down in the Western Conference.

Curry joined fellow teammate, Klay Thompson, in a record for all the bad reasons. As per ESPN Stats and Info, “Stephen Curry’s 2-16 (.125) shooting night is tied for the worst by a Warriors player who took 15 FG attempts in a game over the last 20 seasons. Klay Thompson, David Lee, and Baron Davis have all had 2-16 FG performances for the Warriors over that span.”

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After watching Curry wreak havoc on the Portland Trail Blazers by dropping a record-breaking 62 points, this was a huge step-down. It seems like the team is still adjusting to the many new pieces that have entered this offseason. However, if Curry doesn’t bring his A-game every night, it will become tougher for Golden State to stay alive in the competitive West and land a place in the playoffs.

 

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