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Toronto have downed Golden State in game one of the NBA Finals.
The Raptors, seeking a first championship in the team’s history, won 118-109 in front of a jubilant crowd in Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena on Thursday.
The Warriors’ Australian centre Andrew Bogut did not leave the bench.
Toronto’s All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard has dominated the playoffs averaging 31 points a game, but it was team-mate Pascal Siakam who fired up their squad.
The Cameroon power forward had 32 points.
Leonard added 23.
The Warriors, seeking their third-straight title and fourth in five years, were led by Steph Curry’s 34.
They had nine days off between sweeping the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals and the rust showed.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr started Jordan Bell at centre instead of Bogut.
The need for the Bogut also shrunk with the return of the Warriors’ All-Star centre DeMarcus Cousins who had not played for six weeks after tearing a quad muscle.
The 34-year-old Bogut has been in and out of the Warriors’ starting five since he returned to the champion team in March after his inaugural season in the NBL with the Sydney Kings.
Game two is in Toronto on Sunday with the following two of the best-of-seven finals series in Oakland.
© AAP
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