The Clippers took care of business, beating the Toronto Raptors, 108-100. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George led the way, but the team as a whole played well. Check out our recap below:
Summary
The first half turned out about how we predicted in our preview: The Clippers had the better roster, but the Raptors took advantage of the Clippers’ turnovers and earned even more shots through offensive rebounding. Tied at 49 at halftime, the Clippers were led by 17 points from Kawhi Leonard on 6/8 shooting. Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam both had 11 for the Raptors.
Kawhi’s efficiency waned throughout the second half. He was 1/2 in the third quarter and 1/5 in the fourth. He made up for the drop off, though, by getting to the free throw line consistently. The Clippers, as a whole, shot 24/31 from the line; the Raptors only took 14 total, making 13. Although VanVleet was unhappy about the officiating, the Clippers got to the line by attacking the paint over and over again, which is what Ty Lue wanted. The Clippers’ rim attacks on one end and defense on the other ultimately pushed them to the 108-100 victory.
Notes
Gold Medal: Ty Lue
Ty Lue gets the gold medal because his rotations made more sense tonight. Specifically, neither Russell Westbrook nor Marcus Morris, Sr. played in the fourth quarter. Instead, Lue closed with Terance Mann, Eric Gordon, George, Leonard, and Ivica Zubac (and a little bit of Batum). Mann—who finished with 14 points on 6/7 shooting—made several timely plays in the second half, hopefully showing that he needs to close every game.
Silver Medal: Kawhi Leonard
Yes, Kawhi had a nasty dunk. But he also did the dirty work: He had 12 rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Moreover, as mentiond above, he was integral to the Clippers’ free throw advantage, going 7/9. At the end of the game, he also handled the ball and made his presence felt on the defensive end. The only criticism would be his shot selection at the end of the game, as he was forced to settle for tough shots.
Bronze Medal: Ivica Zubac
Zubac finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks on 7/8 shooting (and 3/4 from the free throw line). He even made a mid-range shot. He played assertively and found some chemistry with Westbrook, which is an encouraging sign because George and others often have a tough time feeding Zubac catchable passes in traffic.
That about does it for this recap of the Clippers’ win against the Raptors. As always, check out The Lob The Jam The Podcast and Clips ‘N Dip for analysis throughout the week, and follow us on Twitter to watch the game with us!
