Raptors build 61-point lead over Warriors, win by 53

The Warriors won and gloated for years.

“Now that they’ve come back to reality,” an anonymous player said last season, “you want to beat the hell out of them.”

The Raptors sure did that Friday.

Toronto built a 61-point lead over Golden State before completing a 130-77 victory in Tampa.

This is just the second time this century a team led by 60 in a game. In 2018, the Hornets led by 65 before beating the Grizzlies by 61 (140-79).

The 53-point final margin is tied for the 21st-largest in NBA history. It’s the biggest since the Celtics beat the Bulls by 56 in 2018 (133-77).

Neither Stephen Curry nor Draymond Green played for the Warriors on Friday.

Pascal Siakam led the Raptors with 36 points. Gary Trent Jr. scored 24 points and was +54 – the second-highest plus-minus in the Basketball-Reference database, which dates back to 1997. (Luc Mbah a Moute was +57 for the Rockets in a 2017 win over the Nuggets.)

Toronto had lost 13 of 14 amid mounting frustration.