NBA on Nov. 29: Hopeful defeat for Warriors vs Raptors

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The game between the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors on Thursday at the Scotiabank Arena was seen by many as a rehearsal for the 2018-19 NBA Finals and it ended in a splendid way as the Raptors defeated the Warriors 131-128 in overtime.

Warriors' lesson from the loss

With his season-high 51 points, Kevin Durant does his part of leading the Golden State Warriors when the team's franchise is incomplete. /VCG Photo

Kevin Durant did everything he could for the Warriors and that included five consecutive shots made at the end of the third quarter and two straight three-pointers in the last 50 seconds of the fourth quarter. Fifty-one points were not only his new season high, but also marked KD's third game in a row in which he scored over 40 points.

Though the loss put an end to Golden State's three-straight-win trend, the team did not have to worry too much because they played against the league's No.1-ranking team through overtime and remained hopeful to win until the last minute while three of their most important players, namely Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and DeMarcus Cousins, could not play.

When Stephen Curry (L), Draymond Green (C) and DeMarcus Cousins (R) are back, the Warriors will become a totally different team. /VCG Photo

Jonas Jerebko is a reliable role player and he deserves more time, especially when the first squad are resting on the bench. He's smart and energetic enough to cause a stir in offense. Meanwhile, other role players need to be more determined to shoot when they are open: if they make the shots, they will make defense pay and ease pressure on key players; if they miss, it's still better than making meaningless moves like passing the ball back to teammates under tight defense.

The Warriors are on the right path because health matters the most to them. When Cousins is back, their rival can never take easy offense rebounds and need to keep a big man on the court which is into Golden State's advantage. When Draymond goes back to playing, Durant will not have to invest that much in one-on-one defense and hence could save more strength for offense. And when Curry is back in the game, everyone will see defense on themselves decrease, have a second player who can change the rival's defense with penetration and another choice to turn to for key play.

Raptors' lesson from the win

Kawhi Leonard #2 has proved that he is one of the few players in today's NBA that can match Durant in both offense and defense. /VCG Photo

Kawhi Leonard has already come back from injury, if he does not get even better. He is Toronto's last resort in offense, the most reliable option for key play and probably the most-Kobe-Bryant-like player for isolation play in today's NBA. When the game is on the line in the last two minutes, give the ball to Leonard and he will decide the game for you.

Kyle Lowry is a good point-guard but his contributions will shrink in the playoffs. Lowry is strong and he can make one or two big three-pointers in the game, not to mention he passes the ball in perhaps the smartest way as a guard in the Eastern Conference. However, his height (1.83 meters) makes it hard for him to do anything when the game gets physical. Moreover, as a player well-known for high efficiency that comes from shooting smart, Lowry will not be able to either maintain that efficiency or raise his production in the playoffs because there won't be enough chances for him to choose from.

Kyle Lowry #7 is a good point guard but will not be able to make the same contributions in the playoffs. /VCG Photo

The Raptors have a potential risk with their inside players. Neither Jonas Valanciunas nor Serge Ibaka can confront guards after switch, meaning that perimeter shots can and will be used against them. Valanciunas can handle the ball but he is too slow and will hurt the team's offense. Ibaka can do nothing but shoot when the ball in his hand and he is never a reliable choice for one-on-one defense.

The above should be a reminder to the Raptors that they are not unmatched even in the Eastern Conference. The team's potential rivals, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers all have their way to make Toronto suffer in offense. Though they have a long bench but that advantage is exaggerated. The proof is that on Thursday's game, the average time played by their first-five was 40 minutes while none from the bench played more than 15 minutes.

LeBron James brings Lakers a win with another record

LeBron James scores 38 points to help the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers 104-96 while passing Karl Malone in the number of 30+ point games. /VCG Photo

The Los Angeles Lakers at home beat the Indiana Pacers 104-96 in a typical "Lakers' game". The purple and gold were full of momentum at the beginning by blocking seven shots of the Pacers and finished the first quarter leading by 23 points (38-15). However, since then the Lakers lost their direction on the court for the following one-and-half quarters until Indiana took the lead (69-66) with a three-pointer.

Good news for the Lakers is that they have LeBron James who knew when to take over the game to secure victory. He first helped the team stabilize the situation with a layup after penetration and a three-pointer and then made key shots several times to maintain a lead for the Lakers. Having dropped in total 38 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, James saw his number of 30+ point games rise to 436, passing Karl Malone (435) to rank the third in NBA history.

In the third game on Thursday, the Los Angeles Clippers claimed win against the Sacramento Kings 133-121 at the Golden 1 Center.