In the first battle of the season between the best of the East and the cream of the West, the Raptors came out on top against defending champion Golden State Warriors, but needed overtime to pull it off. The home team played down the possibility of a finals preview heading into the 131-128 win, but the electric atmosphere at Scotiabank Arena told another story — no matter that the visitors were without Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Alfonzo McKinnie because of injuries. The head-to-head matchup between Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant alone was worth the price of admission, as the Raptors’ main man put up a season-high 37 points while Durant went off for 51 — his third straight game with 40-plus points.
Game Centre: Raptors knock off Warriors in overtime despite Durant’s 51
