The LA Clippers showed no signs of fatigue in the second game of a back to back with a solid 124-113 win over the Toronto Raptors.
Summary
It was Norman Powell’s first game back in Toronto since he was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, and he certainly was ready to play. In a game that saw four Clippers reach the 20 point mark, Norman Powell led the bench unit with 22 points in the win.
The game started off as expected: the Raptors are a team that is better than their overall record would indicate, and they did a good job of keeping the game close against a Clippers team that played yesterday. The Clippers managed to grab hold of a small lead by the half, but the Raptors weren’t going to make this one easy.
In similar fashion to the Detroit game, the Clippers surged to a double-digit lead in the third quarter, with a lot of their activity coming from Ivica Zubac, who took advantage of the small Raptors frontcourt to the tune of 23 points and 16 rebounds.
In contrast to the Detroit game, the Clippers did not take their foot off the gas pedal for this one. Sure they let the Raptors sneak back to within 13 points about midway through the fourth quarter, but there would be no need for any late game heroics again.
The Raptors defense is what has been their calling card and they actually did a solid job in sending help on Kawhi Leonard and getting the ball out of his hands. Unfortunately for them, Leonard still managed to shred their defense with his passing and the Clippers shooters did their part knocking down their open shots.
The Clippers also managed to keep their turnovers low with only 11 total. Turnovers have plagued the Clippers all season but they took care of the ball against the Raptors and it led to a much more favorable result.
This was the best performance of the Clippers road trip so far before they march on to Boston.
Notes
-Ivica Zubac continues to show why is so important to the Clippers. In today’s game, few teams in the NBA have the size to be able to counter his presence. The Clippers are tough to beat when he’s active like this. He does so well recognizing when he has smaller defenders guarding him and his passing/decision making has improved tremendously.
-Reggie Jackson also showed why he integral to this team. He may not always be the most consistent player, but he brings a skill-set that few other players on the team do. He’s one of the best catch and shoot players on the team and his ball-handling and ability to attack the basket in the pick and roll can be crucial. It’s when he strays a little bit from that role and forces up shots sometimes when things break down.
-With John Wall out of the lineup, Tyronn Lue was unable to go with the multi-guard lineups he’s been so fond of this season. Instead, he opted to play Nicolas Batum with three guards and either Ivica Zubac and Marcus Morris. The lineup with Batum in place of another guard actually did well and should be more of a blueprint for effective lineups moving forward.
