The Warriors are heading back to California and they are taking the Raptors with them after they scraped through with a 105-106 win today in Game 5 of the NBA finals. The series is now at 3-2 to the Raptors.
Kevin Durant came out strong, scoring 11 points in 12 minutes before being taken out of the game early in the 2nd quarter after re-injuring his right ankle.
The 'Splash Bros' were the leading scorers for the Warriors, taking a combined 57 points, with two clutch threes with less than two minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
Kawhi Leonard was fairly quiet for the majority of the game but erupted in the 4th quarter, scoring 10 points in two minutes. He finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds.
Over the last three years, the Warriors have been the recipients of relentless scrutiny from the media and NBA fans alike, constantly reminding them that they "blew a 3-1 lead", referring to the 2016 NBA finals vs The Cleveland Cavaliers. This win could very well be the beginning of their journey to dispel any further mention of these taunts.
However, they are no strangers to this scenario. The team were in this exact position the same year against the OKC Thunder in the Western Conference finals, where they came back from being down 3-1, winning the series.
Game 6 will take place on Friday, 1pm NZ time.