Raptors Drop Game to Clippers at Home, 113-124

The Los Angeles Clippers dealt the Raptors their 19th loss of the season this Tuesday night, dropping their regular season record to 15-19. The Clippers improved to 21-15, taking sole possession of the number four seed in the Western Conference.

Paul George and Ivica Zubac led the Clippers in scoring with 23 each as ex-Raptors Kawahi Leonard and Norman Powell chipped in with 22 and 15 respectively. Reggie Jackson scored 20 points and Marcus Morris Sr. added 10, giving  all five Clippers starters double figures in points.

This was the first time Leonard and Powell, who were members of Toronto’s 2019 NBA championship team, had returned to Canada since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Leonard, who hadn’t played in Toronto since receiving his championship ring, got a standing ovation from the crowd at Scotia Bank Arena when he was introduced before tipoff.

The one shining light for the Toronto Raptors was Pascal Siakam’s 36 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. It was his career-high fifth straight game of topping 25 points. Gary Trent Jr dropped 20 points off the bench and Scottie Barnes had 17.

The Raptors actually outshot the Clippers, scoring 51.2% from the field compared to the Clippers 48.4% but were crushed from the three-point line. Just one game after making a season-high 19 3-pointers in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto shot 6-23 from beyond the arc, matching a season-low. The Clippers on the other hand went 15-38 from distance and made a number of clutch three-pointers down the stretch.

The other big news of the night was starting point guard Fred VanVleet’s exit from the game due to lower back stiffness. VanVleet played only a total of 23 minutes, scoring just four points on 2-for-7 shooting from the field to go with seven assists and two rebounds.

Up Next For the Raptors

Next up for the Raptors will be the Memphis Grizzlies at home on Thursday the 30th of December. The Grizzlies currently sit third in the Western Conference with a record of 20-12, one game back from first position.

It’s still unclear if Fred VanVleet will be active for the games after suffering an injury against the Clipper on Tuesday night. If he’s unavailable, Gary Trent Jr. or Thaddeus Young may get the nod to join the starting lineup.

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