The Golden State Warriors held on to defeat the Toronto Raptors 115-110 on Tuesday night, becoming just the seventh team in NBA history to start a season 12-0.
Golden State led by as many as 18 early in the game, but Toronto trailed by one with just minutes to play until the Warriors were able to put it away. Still, point guard Stephen Curry wasn't satisfied with the team's effort.
"We hold ourselves to a very high standard," Curry said. "We didn't put any pressure on them defensively in the third quarter. We were sloppy on a couple of possessions offensively and gave them life. Those are things we need to improve on. Everyone likes to learn those lessons in wins."
Forward Draymond Green agreed with Stephen Curry's assessment:
"I think we made the necessary plays we needed to," Green said. "Obviously, we can close the game out a lot better than we did. It never should have gotten to where it got."
Curry led the way for the Warriors with 37 points and nine assists. Shooting guard Klay Thompson chipped in 19 points in his return after missing one game with back stiffness, and center Andrew Bogut chipped in 13 points and six rebounds.
Guards Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan nearly led the Raptors to a big comeback victory on the road as they each put up 28 points.
Notes
Historic start
Golden State's 12-0 start is tied with the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls for the second-best start by a defending champion, trailing just the 1957-58 Boston Celtics' 14-0 start. The 1948-49 Washington Capitols and 1993-94 Houston Rockets hold the record for the best start to a season in NBA history with 15-0 marks.
The Warriors' next four games are against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Chicago Bulls, the Denver Nuggets, and a chance to go for the record 16-0 at home against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Clippers, Bulls, and Nuggets all have winning records this season.
Curry's dominance
Stephen Curry has scored 404 points this season, which is 101 more than Damian Lillard, the NBA's second leading scorer. For some perspective, the difference between those two is the same as the difference between 2nd and 26th.
Bogut starts
Center Andrew Bogut made his first start since the season opener, where he suffered a concussion. Bogut had played the four games of his return as a backup to Festus Ezeli before re-entering the starting five last night.
What's Next?
Golden State will take on the Clippers in Los Angeles on Thurday night in another primetime game on TNT. The Clippers have posed the biggest threat to knocking off the Warriors, losing 112-108 in Golden State's closest game of the year.
However, Los Angeles has been stuggling since that game, losing four of their past six games after a 4-0 start. Starting point guard Chris Paul is expected to return from a groin injury on Thursday, while starting shooting guard J.J. Redick is listed as questionable.
Golden State won last year's season series 3-1.
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