The Clippers vs Raptors scouting report starts with a game that has lost its marquee reunion. Tip-off is Saturday, October 10, at 3:30 p.m. PT at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, part of the NBA Canada Series, and Sportsnet’s Michael Grange reports that Kawhi Leonard will not play against his former team. It is the second preseason game for both teams. The LA Clippers are 1-0 after a 104-101 win over Golden State in Honolulu, and the Toronto Raptors are 0-1 after a 129-105 loss to the Miami Heat in Quebec City.
We covered the injuries in our Vancouver injury report and the guard battle in our earlier preview. This one looks at the opponent and at what the Clippers need to clean up from Hawaii.
Clippers vs Raptors Scouting Report: What Toronto Showed Against Miami
The Raptors’ preseason opener was uneven. They shot 39% from the field, 29% from three and 63% from the free-throw line, and the Heat outrebounded them 55-43. Toronto’s defense did create 17 steals, and the starters played short minutes: Jakob Poeltl, Ja’Kobe Walter, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley each played between 12 and 18 minutes.
- RJ Barrett: 15 points, seven of eight at the line.
- Scottie Barnes: 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting and three steals in 12 minutes.
- Tyreke Key: 15 points off the bench, 4-of-7 from three.
- Collin Murray-Boyles: nine rebounds in 20 minutes.
- Jamal Shead: eight assists, five rebounds and two steals, but only 1-of-7 shooting.
- Jaden Bradley: nine points on 3-of-4 shooting in 20 minutes.
Shead signed a three-year, $24 million extension through the 2029-30 season, so the Clippers will see a core guard Toronto trusts to run the second unit. The Toronto Sun also wrote that Poeltl is back in form after a revamped summer workout plan and that Murray-Boyles and Walter have impressed.
The Kawhi Leonard and Brandon Ingram Trade
The trade that sent Leonard to Toronto was agreed to in June and then held up before it finally closed. The Clippers received Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a 2027 first-round swap and second-round picks in 2030 and 2033, according to ESPN. The Toronto Sun tied the delay of about 70 days to the Clippers’ salary-cap controversy involving Leonard and said it left him behind in his offseason work.
Leonard took part in his first full practice with the Raptors on Monday and skated again Friday in Vancouver. Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said, per Sportsnet: “I think the plan is to have him sit out.” The team had not formally ruled him out in the reports we found, so treat Sportsnet’s report as the best available word, not a final decision. Ingram, who is recovering from Achilles surgery, will not play for the Clippers either.
That leaves Dick as the player to watch. The former Raptors first-round pick had four points and six rebounds in 16 minutes in Honolulu, shooting 1-of-5. At media day he said: “My dad always told me since I was a little kid just control what you can control.” The Toronto Sun wrote that Los Angeles will give him a real chance to win minutes with Max Strus, Ingram and Jordan Miller all out.
What the Clippers Need to Fix From Honolulu
The 104-101 win over Golden State hid several problems.
- Turnovers: the Clippers committed 22 and had just four steals, against 16 turnovers and 15 steals for the Warriors. Golden State scored 28 points off turnovers.
- Paint defense: Golden State outscored the Clippers 62-34 in the paint and had 20 second-chance points to the Clippers’ six.
- Rebounding: a bright spot. The Clippers won the glass 52-49, which matters because Tyronn Lue said at the start of camp that his smaller team would have to win the rebounding battle.
- Three-point shooting: the Clippers made 11 of 36 (31%).
A Toronto team that forced 17 steals against Miami makes the turnover count a key number for Saturday. With Strus, Ingram and Miller all out, the paint numbers will also test the Clippers’ depth up front.
The Bright Spots: Rui Hachimura, Darius Garland, Keaton Wagler
Rui Hachimura scored 21 points in 15 minutes on 8-of-11 shooting, with four threes. Darius Garland went 4-of-4 from the field and 3-of-3 from three for 15 points and six assists in 15 minutes. Both played only 15 minutes.
Rookie Keaton Wagler played 30 minutes off the bench, scored 15 points, shot 3-of-15 and hit a 19-foot step-back jumper with 14 seconds left to put the Clippers ahead 102-101. Cam Christie’s free throws made it 104-101. After the game Lue praised his poise: “His confidence doesn’t waver. … Down the stretch, he made a big shot to put us up.” Infanity TV embeds the Clippers’ short of the shot below.
Availability and What Is Unconfirmed
- Bradley Beal (right knee inflammation) and Kobe Sanders (left hip): listed day-to-day. No decision on either had been published as of Saturday morning.
- Kawhi Leonard: reported out by Sportsnet. Not formally confirmed.
- Allen Graves: the Raptors rookie, dealing with a groin issue, could make his debut, according to Sportsnet’s Michael Grange. Aggregators also list Trayce Jackson-Davis (head), Jamison Battle (back) and Nate Bittle (foot) as day-to-day. Those are not official reports.
- Starting lineups: neither coach has announced one.
What to Watch
- Can the Clippers take care of the ball against a team that forced 17 steals?
- Does Dick get a larger role against his old team?
- Who joins Garland in the backcourt if Beal and Sanders sit?
- Does Graves debut for Toronto?
Toronto has played preseason games in Vancouver several times, and the Toronto Sun noted that the Raptors lost there for the first time last year, against the Denver Nuggets. Broadcast: TSN and TSN+ are listed for Toronto’s side, and we did not find a Clippers-side broadcast.
Toronto has three preseason games left after Vancouver, including its only home game, Tuesday against the New York Knicks. It opens the regular season Oct. 21 against the Chicago Bulls. Our Honolulu recap has the full game story.
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