TORONTO (AP) — The Golden State Warriors fell below .500 for the first time this season after blowing a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter and losing 104-101 at Toronto on Monday night.
Golden State (19-20) has gone 7-17 since winning 12 of its first 15 games.
Click to Gallery
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives to the net past Toronto Raptors forward Kelly Olynyk (41) during first-half NBA basketball game action in Toronto, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry reacts to a call during first-half NBA basketball game action against the Toronto Raptors in Toronto, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts after scoring during second-half NBA basketball game action against the Toronto Raptors in Toronto, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts after scoring during second-half NBA basketball game action against the Toronto Raptors in Toronto, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
“It sucks,” coach Steve Kerr said. “I don’t like falling below .500 but here we are, so we’ve got to do better.”
The Warriors were up 86-77 after a 3-pointer by Lindy Waters III with 9:27 left, their biggest lead of the night, but Toronto outscored Golden State 27-15 the rest of the way.
“This is as frustrating a loss as we’ve had all season,” Kerr said. “This game was right there for us to win and we just let them get right back in it.”
It’s the latest blow in a challenging stretch that has already seen Kerr question his team’s “competitive spirit” after recent home losses to Sacramento and Miami.
Golden State’s Andrew Wiggins shared his coach’s disappointment after losing to a Raptors team that had dropped 16 of 17.
“It’s tough for sure,” Wiggins said. “I felt we came in feeling good, confident.”
Stephen Curry scored 26 points, giving him 24,371 for his career and passing Hall of Fame guard Allen Iverson (24,368) for 28th on the NBA all-time list. Despite the milestone, Curry wasn’t in much of a celebratory mood.
“This one does sting for sure,” he said, “and we really needed it.”
For the 24th time this season, the Warriors played a game where the score was within five points in the final five minutes. Only Minnesota (25) has played more.
“I’ve got to do a better job,” Kerr said. “We’re not disciplined enough to win these close games, and every game is going to be close right now. We have to win in the margins. We’re not winning in the margins, and that’s coaching.”
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives to the net past Toronto Raptors forward Kelly Olynyk (41) during first-half NBA basketball game action in Toronto, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry reacts to a call during first-half NBA basketball game action against the Toronto Raptors in Toronto, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts after scoring during second-half NBA basketball game action against the Toronto Raptors in Toronto, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts after scoring during second-half NBA basketball game action against the Toronto Raptors in Toronto, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez on Thursday asked lawmakers to approve reforms to the oil industry that would open the doors to greater foreign investment during her first state of the union speech less than two weeks after its longtime leader was toppled by the United States.
Rodríguez, who has been under pressure by the Trump administration to fall in line with its vision for the oil-rich nation, said sales of Venezuelan oil would go to bolster crisis-stricken health services, economic development and other infrastructure projects.
She outlined a distinct vision for the future, straying from her predecessors, who have long railed against American intervention in Venezeula. “Let us not be afraid of diplomacy” with the U.S., said Rodriguez, the former vice president who must now navigate competing pressures from the Trump administration and a government loyal to former President Nicolás Maduro.
The speech, which was broadcast on a delay in Venezuela, came one day after Rodríguez said her government would continue releasing prisoners detained under Maduro in what she described as “a new political moment” since his ouster.
On Thursday, Trump met at the White House with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, whose political party is widely considered to have won 2024 elections rejected by Maduro. But in endorsing Rodríguez, who served as Maduro’s vice president since 2018, Trump has sidelined Machado.
Rodríguez, who had a call with Trump earlier this week, said Wednesday evening on state television that her government would use “every dollar” earned from oil sales to overhaul the nation’s public health care system. Hospitals and other health care facilities across the country have long been crumbling, and patients are asked to provide practically all supplies needed for their care, from syringes to surgical screws.
The acting president must walk a tightrope, balancing pressures from both Washington and top Venezuelan officials who hold sway over Venezuela's security forces and strongly oppose the U.S. Her recent public speeches reflect those tensions — vacillating from conciliatory calls for cooperation with the U.S., to defiant rants echoing the anti-imperialist rhetoric of her toppled predecessor.
American authorities have long railed against a government they describe as a “dictatorship,” while Venezuela’s government has built a powerful populist ethos sharply opposed to U.S. meddling in its affairs.
For the foreseeable future, Rodríguez's government has been effectively relieved of having to hold elections. That's because when Venezuela’s high court granted Rodríguez presidential powers on an acting basis, it cited a provision of the constitution that allows the vice president to take over for a renewable period of 90 days.
Trump enlisted Rodríguez to help secure U.S. control over Venezuela’s oil sales despite sanctioning her for human rights violations during his first term. To ensure she does his bidding, Trump threatened Rodríguez earlier this month with a “situation probably worse than Maduro.”
Maduro, who is being held in a Brooklyn jail, has pleaded not guilty to drug-trafficking charges.
Before Rodríguez’s speech on Thursday, a group of government supporters was allowed into the presidential palace, where they chanted for Maduro, who the government insists remains the country’s president. “Maduro, resist, the people are rising,” they shouted.
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez makes a statement to the press at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez, center, smiles flanked by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, right, and National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez after making a statement to the press at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
