VANCOUVER – DeMarre Carroll had 14 points and DeMar DeRozan chipped in 11 as the Toronto Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors 97-93 in their pre-season opener at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
Kevin Durant had nine points in his pre-season debut with the Warriors and was booed by the Rogers Arena crowd every time he touched the ball.
Durant did get a cheer from the sell-out crowd when he scored on an early breakaway dunk, the highlight of a sluggish start that saw him go 1-for-6 from the field.
Durant didn’t seem bothered by the frosty reception.
“They cheer or they boo, it’s all good,” he said after the game.
Teammate Stephen Curry was surprised by the crowd’s reaction to Durant, who left the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the Warriors in the hopes of winning his first NBA title.
“It’s just funny, buying into a narrative that doesn’t make sense,” he said.
Curry had a relatively quiet game, finishing with eight points and three assists, one of which came when he took a long outlet pass from Draymond Green and set up Andre Iguodala on an alley-oop.
WATCH ABOVE: The NBA returned to Vancouver, for at least one night as the Toronto Raptors took on the Golden State Warriors in a pre-season game.
Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 16 points.
The Warriors rested their stars after halftime, giving fans just a peek at what will no doubt be the league’s most high-power lineup this season. The Raptors followed suit as the third quarter wore on.
Rookie Patrick McCaw looked impressive for the Warriors, finishing with 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting.
As for the Raptors, guard Kyle Lowry said his team is “just trying to get a feel for the game. We’re just trying to figure out pace and our speed.”
Prior to the opening tip-off, the Raptors locked arms during the national anthems.
Raptors players and staff stood arm in arm during both the “Star-Spangled Banner” and “O Canada,” with some bowing their heads.
The Raptors said earlier this week that they planned to join the growing chorus of pro athletes speaking out against police brutality and racial injustice in the United States.
“We wanted to show solidarity,” said Lowry. “We’re a team, we’re all together, we’re all one race, we’re all human beings. We all understand that things in the United States and things in the world isn’t the best right now.”
– With files from The Canadian Press
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