NBA Finals 2019: Andrew Bogut on Golden State Warriors' defensive struggles: 'We miss Klay a lot'

Benyam Kidane

NBA Finals 2019: Andrew Bogut on Golden State Warriors' defensive struggles: 'We miss Klay a lot' image

The short-handed Golden State Warriors didn't have enough firepower to hang with the Toronto Raptors in Game 3, falling 123-109 at Oracle Arena. 

Following a poor Game 2 outing, the Raptors got it going in the Bay, knocking down 17-of-38 from the thee-point line, with Danny Green, Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet combining to shoot 14-of-25 themselves. 


Despite a playoff career-high 47 points from Steph Curry, the Warriors just didn't have any answers on the defensive end, with the Raptors' 123 points the most they've have allowed on their home court in the NBA Finals in the Steve Kerr era.

While Toronto knocked down plenty of tough shots, they were able to generate a ton of open looks on the perimeter, relishing in the absence of Klay Thompson, who missed Game 3 with a hamstring injury. 

"Klay's an all-league defender in my opinion, top 10 defender in the league and one of the purest scorers in the league," Warriors centre Andrew Bogut said post-game. "So I think you take him away from any team you're going to struggle.

"We miss Klay a lot, especially defensively. People will look at the scoring he can give us but tonight defensively we really missed him.

"I think he's one of the best defenders in the league, especially out on the perimeter and now all of a sudden you've got Draymond [Green] guarding Kawhi [Leonard] more than he normally would, Andre [Iguodala] as well and then you put a lot of pressure on Quinn [Cook] and other guys to come off the bench and play just as well. Hopefully we'll get him back and win Game 4."


 

Curry did his best to keep the Warriors afloat, scoring 17 of his 47 points in the first quarter. He finished the game shooting 14-of-31 from the field and 6-of-14 from the three-point line, but the Warriors only had two other players score in double figures as they fell short on their home floor. 

Despite his impressive night scoring the ball, Curry implored his team to re-discover their rhythm on defence as they look to level the series in Game 4. 

“We can’t fall into the trap of thinking offence alone is going to win us another championship or letting that end of the floor affect our defence," Curry said post game. 'That'll be the biggest adjustment for us in Game 4."

Benyam Kidane

Benyam Kidane Photo

Benyam Kidane is a senior NBA editor and has been covering the league for The Sporting News since 2016. In his spare time you can find him watching Allen Iverson highlights on repeat.