Warriors' Cousins returns to action in Game 1

The Golden State Warriors brought in some reinforcement for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night with big man DeMarcus Cousins playing for the first time in more than a month. He entered the game to open the second quarter and finished with three points, two assists and two steals in eight minutes as the visiting Warriors lost 118-109 to the Toronto Raptors.

Head coach Steve Kerr announced at the morning shootaround that Cousins could play for the first time since April 15, when the centre tore his left quadriceps muscle during Game 2 of the opening round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Clippers. Cousins saw limited action in the regular season after returning from a 2018 ruptured left Achilles tendon. He played in just 30 games with the Warriors, scoring 16.3 points per game with 8.2 rebounds.

The two-time defending champion Warriors, who have reached the NBA Finals in five consecutive seasons, are still without forward Kevin Durant, who has a calf strain. --Field Level Media