WARRIORS STAY ALIVE
TORONTO – The Toronto Raptors will have to wait to win their first NBA title in franchise history.
Stephen Curry had 31 points while Klay Thompson finished with 26, and the visiting Golden State Warriors edged Toronto 106-105 to slice the Raptors’ lead in the NBA Finals to 3-2.
The best-of-seven series heads back to Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., for Game 6 on Thursday.
Kawhi Leonard had 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to lift Toronto past the Splash Brothers as Curry and Thompson both had big three-pointers down the stretch.
Six Raptors scored in double figures: Serge Ibaka had 18 points, Marc Gasol had 17, Serge Ibaka finished with 15, Pascal Siakam chipped in with 12, and Fred VanVleet finished with 11.
In uncharted territory in their Finals debut, the Raptors are looking to capture the first championship for a Canadian franchise in one of North America’s four major sports leagues _ NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB _ since the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays won the World Series. And they’re carrying the pride and dreams of a country along with them.
(Canadian Press/Photo: Mike Lee)