BEVERLY HILLS, April 03, (THEWILL) – As if being 10th in the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA) was not terrible enough for Golden State Warriors, who hold the NBA regular season wins record of 73–9, trailed by as many as 61 points en route to an embarrassing 130-77 loss against the team 11th in the Eastern Conference, the Toronto Raptors, at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida on Friday.
It began tightly in the first quarter, though the Raps led by one point with the scoreboard showing 27-26. But, that was the last normal quarter because the hosts dominated from there on, completely outscoring the Warriors 81-30 over the next 24 minutes to take control of the match.
The leading Raps player was the Cameroonian Pascal Siakam. He led Toronto with 36 points while shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. added 24. Ogugua OG Anunoby was not left out, bringing his total of 21 to prop up the numbers for the Raps.
It was a bad day at the office for Golden State, who had to manage just 32.9 percent shots from the field, committing 21 turnovers. The poor showing was highlighted by Andrew Wiggins lead of the team’s scoring with 15 points.
Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr put the outcome in the most candid terms: “We just got destroyed. Not a whole lot to be said…humiliating for everybody involved.”
Kerr’s side was immensely shorthanded and went into the Friday game without the spectacular point guard Stephen Curry, who still nurses a bruised tailbone, and Draymond Green, who is out with finger and hip injuries.
These two influential absences are joined to an injury list that already has Kyle Lowry out with a foot infection and Fred VanVleet, who could only play 19 minutes of the trouncing, due to a strained left hip flexor.
The Friday whitewashing of the Warriors via the 53-point difference entered the annals of their history as the second-largest margin of defeat. In the 1971/1972 campaign, the Warriors of the time lost to the eventual NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers by a 162-99 score on March 19, 1972.
In the hammering of second and third quarters, the Raptors’ advantage of a 51-point edge was the largest deficit ever built over a two-quarter span in NBA history. It was also the fourth time in 25 seasons that a team trailed by 60 or more points during a competitive game.
The records in the NBA show the largest margin of victory (or defeat) by any team is 68 points. This was at a December 17, 1991 tie when the Cleveland Cavaliers tore apart the Miami Heat 148-80.
Friday’s result brought the Toronto win-loss ratio to 19-30 while the Warriors are now 23-26. The Sacramento Kings could have leapfrogged Golden State in the standings, but they fell 94-115 to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
