Norman Powell shines as Toronto Raptors clinch playoff spot with win over Golden State Warriors

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Scott Rafferty
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The Toronto Raptors are going to the playoffs.

With a 121-113 win over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, the Raptors joined the Milwaukee Bucks as the only teams in the NBA so far this season to clinch a spot in the playoffs.

Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell led the way in the win. Whereas Lowry had a double-double with 26 points and 10 assists, Powell set a new career high with 37 points.

Pascal Siakam had a rough game, but he stepped up when the Raptors needed him to, making two big baskets down the stretch.

For more on the game, check below for updates, stats, highlights and more.

Final score: Toronto Raptors 121, Golden State Warriors 113

PREVIEW | BOX SCORE | PLAY-BY-PLAY

1:10 a.m. — That'll do it. The Warriors miss a couple of 3s and Norman Powell hits four straight free throws to give him a new career high and secure the win.

For the Warriors, Stephen Curry finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in 27 minutes. It's good to have him back.

1:05 a.m. — It hasn't been Pascal Siakam's best game of the season, but he's come up with a couple of huge baskets down the stretch to keep the Raptors ahead. That's what All-Stars do.

1:03 a.m. — Andrew Wiggins makes his third 3-pointer of the quarter. It's a one possession game again with just over a minute to go.

1:02 a.m. — Stephen Curry, man...

12:55 a.m. — Kyle Lowry makes a layup, bringing his total to 26 points for the game.

He's now scored or assisted on nine of Toronto's last 11 points. He's been the difference-maker for the Raptors in the fourth quarter.

12:53 a.m. — You can always count on Kyle Lowry to make a big play — or several. He's made a 3-pointer, two free throws, come up with a steal and dished out his 10th assist of the game within the last minute and a half.

12:51 a.m. — Here he comes. Stephen Curry checks back into the game with 3:51 to go. Raptors lead 109-102.

12:40 a.m. — Stephen Curry heads to the bench for some rest with 8:11 to go in the fourth quarter. He's up to 23 minutes in the game. He'll likely come back for the final four or five minutes.

12:36 a.m. — Andrew Wiggins opens the fourth quarter with a couple of 3-pointers. That's a good sign for the Warriors as they look to keep this close heading down the stretch.

End of third quarter: Raptors 89, Warriors 88

12:28 a.m. — How did the Raptors respond? By giving Norman Powell the ball. He scored the last six points of the quarter for the Raptors, giving him 33 points for the game. That ties his career high. There are still 12 minutes to play.

Powell has helped the Raptors overcome a rough game from Pascal Siakam so far. Siakam has only 11 points on 3-for-14 shooting from the field and 0-for-7 from 3-point range. Him coming alive in the fourth quarter would certainly help the Raptors win this game and clinch a playoff spot.

12:23 a.m. — And the Warriors have taken the lead off of a 3-pointer by Eric Paschall. Let's see how the Raptors respond.

12:19 a.m. — We have ourselves a ball game.

With Stephen Curry on the bench, the Warriors go on a 12-6 run to make it a one-point game. Damion Lee has led the charge with a couple of 3-pointers and an alley-oop to Marquese Chriss in transition.

4:08 to go in the period.

Something to keep an eye on for the Raptors: Kyle Lowry picked up his fourth foul with 5:31 to play in the quarter. Time will tell if that becomes a factor.

12:10 a.m. — As I was saying...

12:06 a.m. — Stephen Curry continues to make things happen. He has 15 points, six assists and five rebounds in only 17 minutes. If he wasn't on a minutes restriction, he might mess around and get a triple-double.

More importantly for the Warriors right now, Curry is keeping them in the game. The Raptors lead by seven, but the Warriors aren't going away.

End of second quarter: Raptors 62, Warriors 55

11:46 p.m. — The second quarter belonged to Norman Powell, as he was responsible for 19 of Toronto's 30 points in the period.

Powell is now up to 23 points in the game. He and Kyle Lowry (10 points) are the only Raptors in double figures scoring. 

Following a quiet first quarter, Stephen Curry came alive for the Warriors in the second with 11 points, all of which seemed to come in spectacular fashion. He has four assists, but he's created a ton more open shots for his teammates with his gravity.

11:40 p.m. — Stephen Curry: Still the best shooter in the entire world.

11:28 p.m. — Norman Powell has 15 of Toronto's 20 points in the second quarter. The five other points have come from Terence Davis on two massive dunks, the second of which he got fouled on.

First, this:

Then, this:

Goodness gracious.

11:27 p.m. — Norman Powell makes another 3-pointer, giving him 15 points in the second quarter alone. He can't miss right now.

11:22 p.m. — It's Norman Powell time. He's scored 12 of Toronto's 14 points to open the second quarter.

With the Raptors now up 12, Steve Kerr calls a timeout to try and stop the bleeding.

Powell is up to 16 points in the game. He hasn't skipped a beat since returning from injury.

11:21 p.m. — Stephen Curry's first bucket after missing four months? A circus shot, because of course.

End of first quarter: Raptors 32, Warriors 27

11:14 p.m. — Six Raptors are already on the scoreboard in this one. The problem? Five Warriors are also on the scoreboard, and Stephen Curry isn't one of them.

Eric Paschall and Mychal Mulder have given Golden State some strong minutes off the bench, combining for 11 of the team's 27 points in the first quarter.

This dunk by Paschall was particularly strong:

11:07 p.m. — The Raptors call a timeout. They lead 30-22 with 1:50 to play in the period.

It's Kyle Lowry who is leading the way for the Raptors so far. He somehow already has 10 points and five assists. He's picked up from where he left off the last time he was in Golden State. (You know, Game 6 of the Finals, when he set the tone with a 15-point first quarter).

11:00 p.m. — Stephen Curry heads to the bench after five minutes of play. He's yet to score — he missed both of his 3-point attempts — but he has three assists and one rebound.

10:54 p.m. — Stephen Curry's first ever assist to Andrew Wiggins was a beauty.

10:53 p.m. — You think Serge Ibaka is excited to be back?

Pregame

10:30 p.m. — The Warriors will start Stephen Curry, Damion Lee, Andrew Wiggins, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Marquese Chriss.

9:52 p.m. — The Raptors will start Kyle Lowry, Norman Powell, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam and Serge Ibaka.

9:49 p.m. — Serge Ibaka will return from injury against the Warriors, but Fred VanVleet and Marc Gasol remain out for the Raptors.

The Warriors will also be without a key player: Draymond Green will miss his fourth straight game with a knee injury.

The views expressed here do not represent those of the NBA or its clubs.

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Scott Rafferty

Scott Rafferty is a Senior NBA Editor for The Sporting News