NBA Finals 2019: 3 Talking Points from Toronto Raptors vs Golden State Warriors

The Toronto Raptors took on the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 of the 2019 NBA Finals at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, the home of the Warriors. With the Raptors up 2-1, everyone expected the Warriors to even up the series at 2-2 and then head to Toronto for Game 5.

But to everyone's surprise, Golden State Warriors suffered another defeat at the hands of the Kawhi-led Toronto Raptors, losing the game 92-105, and the Raptors take a mammoth 3-1 lead home for Game 5, which is to be played on Monday night.

So without further ado, here are the 3 biggest talking points from Game 4 of the 2019 NBA finals:

#3 Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney made a strong return to the lineup, but to no avail

Klay Thompson, one half of the famous Splash brothers, missed his first playoff game ever in Game 3, sitting out with a strained left hamstring. He returned for Game 4 tonight and was superb in the 42 minutes he was on the court for the Warriors.

Thompson scored a team high 28 points and was very efficient, making 11 of his 18 shots and was 60% from beyond the 3 point line, making 6 out of 10. He also had 3 rebounds and 2 assists. He was a non factor on the defensive end as he could not rack up any steals or blocks.

Kevon Looney was a surprise inclusion on the bench for Game 4 after Steve Kerr had said that he expected Looney to miss the remainder of the series with a fractured cartilage near his right collarbone. He recovered well enough to play a solid 20 minutes tonight from the bench.

He scored 10 points in a backup role, making 5 of his 8 shots and grabbed 6 rebounds along with an assist. He turned over the ball just once and had a great game. The Warriors, even though Klay stepped up tonight, need more from the Splash brothers if they want to stay in the series, especially if Durant cannot return for Game 5.

#2 Steph Curry stays quiet while the Raptors roar

Curry had a bad game tonight at the Oracle Arena

Steph Curry had been playing some of his best basketball with Kevin Durant out and in Game 3 of the 2019 NBA Finals, without Klay, Curry stepped up with an even better performance, scoring a playoff career high 47 points against the Toronto Raptors, although in a losing cause.

With Klay back for tonight but still no sign of Kevin Durant, Curry had to stay the best player on the court for the Warriors to stand any chance of winning Game 4 and evening the series out at 2-2. But Curry was abysmal on the floor today.

Even though Curry scored 27 points tonight, he shot a horrible 40.9% from the field and just 22% from beyond the arc. He had 6 assists and 4 rebounds, along with a steal on the defensive end. He also had 3 turnovers in an overall poor night for the Warriors star. They need Curry on point and ready to go for Game 5 if they want to have any chance of mounting a comeback.

#1 Kawhi Leonard is the best player in the playoffs

Kawhi Leonard played just 60 games in the regular season for the Toronto Raptors, with load management and an eye at the playoffs the biggest factor for giving him the rest he wanted. Since the playoffs began, Kawhi has been the best player on the court by far.

He is averaging 31.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists along with 1.6 steals in each game, shooting 49.8% from the field. He has had 14 games with 30 points or more in the playoffs this season, with only Kobe Bryant, Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Jordan ahead of him.

Through the first four games of these Finals, Leonard is averaging 30.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.0 steals a game, while shooting 44.7 percent from the field, and 40.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Game 4 was no different for the Klaw, as he scored 36 points and shot 50% from the field, and he even hit 5 out of his 9 3-point attempts. Kawhi was dominant on the glass as well, grabbing himself 12 rebounds, along with 2 assists, 4 steals and 1 block in an amazing all-round performance.