Rim protection was supposed to be this Warriors team’s weak point. With Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli gone, and the ground-bound Zaza Pachulia starting at center, the early-season game plan against Golden State was simple: attack the paint.
Late in the Warriors’ 121-111 win Wednesday night over Toronto, they reinforced just how far their interior defense has come. Three blocks by Kevin Durant in the final 91 seconds helped deflate the Raptors’ comeback bid and extend Golden State’s streak without consecutive regular-season losses to 119 games.
By the time the final buzzer sounded, a player known more for his offensive potency than his rim protection had tied a career-high with six swatted shots.