Toronto Raptors: 3 takeaways from Game 2 of 2019 NBA Finals

1. Silver linings moving forward

The Toronto Raptors had plenty of opportunities to put the game out of reach in the first half. The defensive lapses in the the end of the second and start of the third were their undoing.

In the first quarter, they held the Warriors to 26 points, 10 of which came from free throws. Lowry needs to have better discipline moving forward. Committing a foul 80-plus feet from the basket was not an acceptable display of discipline when he already had five fouls in the fourth quarter, especially since his team needed his leadership on the floor.

It wasn’t just Lowry though. Marc Gasol and Pascal Siakam have to do a better job guarding Curry on switches. Curry got fouled a few times inside the perimeter because Gasol or Siakam would be off-balance and Curry would lean into them while shooting to draw the foul. Curry is an exceptional free throw shooter — 8-of-9 Sunday night — so it’s best to keep him off the charity stripe.

On the other end, Siakam, who had a career-best 32 points in Game 1, was held to 12 points on 5-of-18 shooting. He needs to be more consistent for his team, going 0-for-3 from deep and missing two of his four free throws. Siakam is averaging 19.0 points per game on 46.7 percent shooting in these playoffs, so look for him to respond on the road in Game 3.

With the injury bug hitting the Warriors, the Raptors need to capitalize on the mismatches on the offensive end like they were in the first quarter. They would switch DeMarcus Cousins out onto the perimeter, exposing one of opposition’s weakest defenders in that aspect and would score over him. Thompson was shooting lights out for the Warriors, and if he returns in Game 3, it would be difficult to assume he can be as effective scoring on contested shots like he was in the first half of Game 2.

Lastly, the Warriors boast the most talented roster on paper in the league. The Raptors have already beaten two teams this postseason run, who on paper were the more talented team as well.

They were able to win on the road, by slowing down the pace of the game, being physical, and grinding out a win by holding the opposition under 100 points. The Warriors’ offense is the biggest challenge in that last regard, but as we saw Sunday night in the fourth quarter, when the Raptors defense is locked in, it can accomplish challenging feats.