The Warriors narrowly defeated the Raptors with a 106-105 win during Monday night’s Game 5, extending the NBA Finals.
The Raptors still lead the series. Game 6 is Thursday at Oracle Arena.
Kevin Durant, the Warrior star, left early in the game with a leg injury, limping off after presumably aggravating the same injury to his lower right leg that had kept him out of the Warriors' last nine playoff games.
With under five minutes in the fourth quarter, Toronto took a 98-97 lead.
The Warriors entered the night trailing the Raptors 3-1 in the title series — meaning their hopes of a third consecutive NBA championship were squarely on the brink now.
Durant had not played since straining a calf muscle in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against Houston, and the team hoped his presence would be a boost.
For the 12 minutes he was out there, Durant — the NBA Finals MVP when the Warriors captured titles in 2017 and 2018 — indeed was a threat.
And then he limped off, leaving the Warriors to play without him once again.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.