Clippers vs Raptors at Intuit Dome on Monday night is a quick chance for the Los Angeles Clippers to stop a losing streak that has reached five games. Less than 24 hours after a 124-112 loss to the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center, the 1-5 Clippers host the 3-3 Toronto Raptors at 7 p.m. PST. The game is on KTLA and ClipperVision. Both teams are on the second night of a back-to-back, since Toronto lost 131-125 to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
In the postgame video above, Tyronn Lue talks through the defensive breakdowns and blow-bys that let Golden State make 22 of 49 threes. He also discusses Rui Hachimura’s 24 points and the strong first quarter that the Clippers could not sustain for 48 minutes.
How Golden State pulled away without Stephen Curry and Draymond Green
The Warriors rested Stephen Curry and Draymond Green on the front end of their own back-to-back. The Clippers still lost, which tells you a lot about their week. Los Angeles started well, scoring 37 points and taking a 37-29 lead after the first quarter, and its largest lead was 11. Golden State then won the second quarter 34-20 to take control. The Clippers went into halftime down 63-57.
Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg did most of the damage. He scored a career-high 37 points on 13-for-19 shooting, made 6 of 11 threes, went 5-for-6 at the line and had six assists. The Associated Press said it was the most points by a Warriors rookie since Curry scored 42 at Portland on April 14, 2010. The AP also noted that Lendeborg is the third Warrior with two 30-point games in his first seven, after Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry. He scored five straight points midway through the third quarter to make it 83-68.
The rest of the Warriors were dangerous too. De’Anthony Melton scored 21 and made 6 of 8 threes. Brandin Podziemski had 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and Brandon Williams scored 17 off the bench. Golden State shot 46-for-86 with 32 assists. “It changes everything,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Lendeborg. “On a night like tonight, without Steph, we scored 124 points, and Yaxel is the main reason that we were high-powered.”
What went right for the Clippers
There were real positives. Hachimura scored 24 on 10-for-16 shooting and made 4 of 7 threes in his return to the starting lineup. Kobe Sanders scored 16 off the bench on 6-for-9 shooting, including 4-for-6 from deep. Kris Dunn had 12 points and seven steals. In the Sporting Tribune video, Lue points out that Dunn took the Lendeborg assignment in the third quarter. Nick Martinelli made 4 of 5 shots for 10 points.
The turnover problem also got better. After giving the ball away 18, 26, 26, 24 and 18 times in their first five games, the Clippers had a season-low 14 on Sunday. They went 18-for-19 at the line, had 48 points in the paint and got 47 points from the bench, according to NBA.com.
What still needs fixing
The defense is the issue. Golden State shot 45% from three, and the Clippers did not block a single shot. Darius Garland scored 15 points with seven assists, but he shot 4-for-12, went 1-for-7 from three and had no rebounds. Derrick Jones Jr. scored nine on 3-for-11 shooting. Rookie Keaton Wagler scored seven on 2-for-8 shooting and missed all four of his threes, which ended his run of double-figure games. Brook Lopez added seven points and Isaiah Jackson had five points and eight rebounds.
The five-game slide includes two losses to the Lakers (125-117 and 103-87) and road losses at Oklahoma City (108-101), Minnesota (127-101) and Golden State. The only win so far is the 121-96 opener against the Sacramento Kings.
Clippers vs Raptors: the matchup
Toronto will be without Kawhi Leonard, who is out with a knee injury and has missed four straight games. Nate Bittle is also out with a foot injury. Center Jakob Poeltl sat out Sunday with a left shoulder injury, and ESPN lists him as day-to-day. If Poeltl cannot play again, Lopez and Jackson should have a better chance on the glass against a team that grabbed 22 offensive rebounds at Crypto.com Arena.
Scottie Barnes is the main threat. He scored 29 against the Lakers and is averaging 24.8 points, per FanDuel Research. RJ Barrett had 22 points and 10 rebounds Sunday. Jamison Battle scored 20 off the bench. Immanuel Quickley had seven assists but shot 3-for-13. Toronto also forced turnovers, with 14 steals against the Lakers. That is a real test for a Clippers team that finally took care of the ball on Sunday. The Raptors went 17-for-54 from three, so the Clippers’ perimeter defense may get some help from tired legs.
Oddsmakers have Toronto as a 5.5-point favorite in Inglewood. FanDuel Research lists Garland as the Clippers’ leader at 20.8 points and 6.3 assists per game.
Clippers injury report
- Derrick Jones Jr.: Day-to-day with a knee injury, per ESPN. This is a new listing after Sunday’s game.
- Max Strus: Out (foot).
- Yanic Konan Niederhauser: Out (foot).
- Brandon Ingram: Out.
- Bradley Beal: Out (knee).
What’s next
After Toronto, the Clippers stay home to host the Miami Heat on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 7:30 p.m. PST. Golden State hosts the Phoenix Suns on Monday, and Curry and Green are expected to be available.
Notes and conflicts
- Lendeborg’s total: The Warriors.com headline says 34 points. The box score, the AP and NBA.com all say 37. We use 37.
- Ingram’s injury: ESPN lists an Achilles injury. A FOX Sports preview lists a heel injury. That preview also lists Jordan Miller as out with a shoulder injury, which ESPN does not show, and it does not list Jones. Check the official NBA injury report before tipoff.
- Jones’ status: Whether he plays on Monday is unconfirmed.
- Poeltl: He was not on the pregame injury summary for Sunday’s game and then did not play. His status for Monday is unconfirmed.
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