Toronto Raptors Take NBA Finals Opener

TORONTO (AP) — The first NBA Finals game outside the U.S. was a party 24 years in the making and Pascal Siakam and the Raptors really gave Toronto something to celebrate.

Siakam scored a playoff career-high 32 points and the Raptors made a smashing NBA Finals debut, beating the Golden State Warriors 118-109 on Thursday night.

The Raptors hardly looked like newcomers to the NBA’s biggest stage, controlling the action most of the way against a Golden State team beginning its fifth straight NBA Finals appearance.

Kawhi Leonard added 23 points and Marc Gasol had 20 for the Raptors, who weren’t in awe of the setting or their opponents who had played 22 NBA Finals games in the last four years.

Stephen Curry scored 34 points and Klay Thompson had 21 for the Warriors, who had won all four Game 1s in the last four years. All those had come at home, but this time Golden State doesn’t have home-court — or home country — advantage.

Game-2 is Sunday, June 2. Coverage begins at 6:00 PM on ESPN 99.1.

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