Raptors take NBA Finals opener

The first NBA Finals game outside the U.S. was a party 24 years in the making. Then 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.

“I think we did pretty good job at home,” Siakam said. “The fans are amazing, man. I just want to say that. From coming out for warmup to the end of the game, it was just the support and then going crazy. I’ve never seen anything like that.”

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

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“We know that they’re human. They’re a great basketball team, talented players, high basketball-IQ players,” Leonard said. “You just got to go out there and compete, take the challenge.”

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.

“Our goal was to get one and it’s still on the table for us,” Thompson said. “So I know we’ll respond like the champions we are.” Game 2 is Sunday night in Toronto, which is hosting an NBA Finals game for the first time after the Raptors entered the league as an expansion team in 1995.

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