Empty seats are seen at the Scotiabank Arena as the Toronto Raptors take on the Golden State Warriors in NBA basketball action on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
Fred VanVleet had a double-double as the Toronto Raptors dispatched a depleted Golden State Warriors 119-100 on Saturday in a half-full Scotiabank Arena.
VanVleet’s 27 points and 12 assists led the Raptors (14-15) who were without Pascal Siakam and Dalano Banton after they both tested positive for COVID-19.
Scotiabank Arena was at 50 per cent capacity because of provincial pandemic regulations designed to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Siakam and Banton were placed in the NBA health and safety protocols before the game, having tested positive when they arrived late in the afternoon.
They will miss 10 days as a result. More than 70 NBA players currently are mired in the health and safety protocols.
On Thursday, the Raptors had their home game against the Chicago Bulls postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the Bulls organization.
The league-leading Warriors (14-8) were without standouts Stephen Curry (rest), Draymond Green (right hip tightness), Andre Iguodala (right knee management), Otto Porter Jr. (left foot management), Andrew Wiggins (rest) of Vaughan, Ont.
Golden State guard Jordan Poole was in health and safety protocols.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr decided to send Curry, Green, Iguodala, Porter and Wiggins home to rest and avoid Canadian border COVID-19 protocols after their third consecutive win in Boston on Friday. This left the Warriors with only nine players.
Golden State’s game in Toronto was the end of a five-game, eight-day trip with previous stops in Philadelphia, Indiana, New York and Boston.
Nineteen-year-old Jonathan Kuminga led the Warriors with 26 points.
Although Siakam and Banton missed the outing, forward OG Anunoby returned after a 13-game absence with a left hip pointer. He played 28 minutes and was good for seven points.
Four Raptors starters hit double figures. Rookie Scottie Barnes added 21 points and eight rebounds. Canadian Chris Boucher and Gary Trent Jr. were good for 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Toronto forward Precious Achiuwa also returned after his stint in health and safety protocols and chipped in 17 points from off the bench. Yuta Watanabe also scored 12 points off the bench.
This was the Warriors’ first visit to Toronto since the Raptors championship series win against Golden State in 2019.
Toronto enjoyed comfortable leads of 31-18 after the first quarter and 63-42 at halftime. VanVleet already had checked in with a double-double of 20 points and 10 assists after two quarters.