THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO — The stat line says Chris Bosh was the star of the Toronto Raptors’ thrilling overtime win over the Golden State Warriors.
Bosh may not agree, but the Warriors certainly do.
The perennial all-star had a game-high 31 points as the Raptors continued their dominance in home openers, earning a 112-108 victory over Golden State on Friday night.
Faced with the prospect of losing a home opener for just the second time this decade, the Raptors (2-0) relied on Bosh’s late-game dominance — he had 14 points in the fourth quarter and overtime — combined with a lock-down defence that repeatedly forced the Warriors (0-2) into turnovers and poor shots.
In typical Bosh fashion, the six-foot-10 forward happily deferred to his teammates after the game — starting with Andrea Bargnani, who had 19 points and three blocks after struggling in the season-opening win over Philadelphia.
"We were like, ‘Who is No. 7?"’ joked Bosh. "He just played aggressive and I think that is good for him. He’s making people pay now."
Bosh also credited Anthony Parker, who had 23 points and a pair of critical steals to open the extra period. The Raptors scored the first eight points in OT, and cruised from there.
"We know that (Parker) can score," said Bosh, who added nine rebounds and a block in 42 minutes. "We’ve been telling (him) to stay aggressive and put pressure on guys. When he gets it going, it does nothing but help us."
The Warriors, who were awful for the first four minutes of overtime, said Bosh was the difference.
"Towards the end of the game, Chris Bosh just took over, playing like the all-star he is," said Stephen Jackson, who had 19 points for Golden State. "He made plays and knocked down his free throws and there wasn’t too much we could do."
Jose Calderon hit a driving layup to open the overtime, Bosh made a 17-footer while falling to the floor and Bargnani — who went 8-of-10 from the field — converted a short jumper from the key as Toronto opened up its largest lead since the first half.
At the other end, the Warriors couldn’t do a thing for the majority of the OT — they turned the ball on two straight possessions, and their shot selection included an airball, a missed alley-oop and a dart that clanked off the side of the rim.
Calderon — who finished with 16 points and 13 assists — and Parker combined to make six free throws in the final minute to close things out.
Al Harrington had 26 points and 11 rebounds to pace Golden State, while Andris Biedrins also finished with a double-double (17 points, 13 rebounds) in defeat.
Following a tight third quarter in which the teams were no more than three points apart, the Raptors carried a 74-73 lead into the fourth. The Warriors took control early in the quarter, with Corey Maggette scoring six points during an 8-3 run that put Golden State up by four.
As they had all game long, the Raptors stayed close. Trailing 90-85, Bargnani buried a three-pointer with 3:52 left to cut the lead to two. After Jackson answered with a three of his own, Calderon made a long jumper and Bargnani blocked Maggette’s layup attempt at the other end.
Trailing 93-92, Bosh gave the Raptors the lead on a driving dunk with 29.3 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Jermaine O’Neal followed with a poster-calibre block on Maggette, but the ball bounded right to Jackson, who calmly stroked a three.
Bosh hit a pair of free throws to tie the game 96-96 with 14.5 seconds remaining. Maggette turned the ball over on a driving layup attempt — giving Toronto possession with seven-tenths of a second left — but Parker’s three-point attempt at the buzzer rimmed out.
The sell-out Air Canada Centre crowd of 19,800 showed its festive side Friday, with Halloween costumes nearly outnumbering Raptors jerseys. While most settled for wigs or painted faces, one creative fan trumped them all by showing up dressed as former World Wrestling Entertainment oddball Golddust.
.Bosh led the way with nine first-quarter points while Parker added eight — including back-to-back three-pointers that fuelled an 11-0 run — as the Raptors enjoyed a 28-22 lead through the opening 12 minutes.
Toronto ratcheted up the intensity early in the second. Brandan Wright went to the hoop for a dunk and was blocked emphatically by O’Neal, falling to the court as the new Raptors centre wagged his finger in his direction. Bargnani promptly went back down the court and converted a dunk of his own.
A Jason Kapono three-pointer and O’Neal finger roll on a Calderon pass gave Toronto its biggest lead of the game at 45-33. The Warriors followed with a 15-2 run, taking a 48-47 lead on Jackson’s three-pointer with 1:20 left.
Toronto closed strong, and a pair of Calderon free throws in the final seconds gave the Raptors a 51-50 advantage at the half.
Notes: O’Neal entered the court to a thunderous ovation during pre-game introductions. He finished with five points, six rebounds and three blocks in 33 minutes. "Some nights I’m not going to have the scoring ability," said O’Neal, who had 17 points in the season opener. "I just have to try to block shots and rebound and take charges … be a factor in that aspect." … It didn’t take long for Raptors fans to get into the spirit of the game, chanting "MVP! MVP!" when Bosh went to the line for a pair of free throws less than five minutes into the game.
