Raptors at Clippers
After their six-game road trip got off to a rough start, the Toronto Raptors hope their defense provides a bit more resistance Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Raptors allowed the Chicago Bulls to score a franchise-record 49 points in the fourth quarter in Monday's 129-120 loss. Toronto had won its previous six games, although the Raptors have now allowed at least 100 points in three consecutive games and 12 of their last 16 contests.
"We didn't play defense and they executed extremely well," Toronto point guard Kyle Lowry said. "Whatever play they called, they got good shots, and they got where they wanted to get on the floor. But we didn't give them any pushback. That's one thing we have to make sure we do from now on." The Clippers, meanwhile, are coming off Thursday's 100-86 victory over the Golden State Warriors as they avoided their first three-game skid of the season. This is the second game of a nine-game homestand for Los Angeles, which is 12-3 at STAPLES Center this season.
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, Sun News Network (Toronto), Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (22-7): Lowry scored 34 points against Chicago and knocked down 4-of-8 3-pointers, bringing him to 13-for-26 from long range in his last five games. Lowry has shouldered the scoring load with DeMar DeRozan sidelined with an injury, but the Raptors need more out of Terrence Ross, who has shot 36.9 percent from the floor over the last five contests. James Johnson has continued to provide a lift, scoring 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting against the Bulls and averaging 12.7 points on 65.4 percent shooting in the last three contests.
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (20-10): Los Angeles shot 4-of-24 from the field in the first quarter on Thursday but closed strong, thanks in large part to Jamal Crawford scoring half of his 24 points in the final period. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin combined to shoot 12-of-34, while the bench - aside from Crawford - totaled four points on 2-of-10 shooting. The Clippers could use another strong rebounding performance, as they pulled down 50 rebounds - 10 more than their team average - with Griffin (15) and DeAndre Jordan (12) leading the way.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Over the last four games, Clippers G J.J. Redick is 16-of-29 from the 3-point line, making at least three in every contest.
2. Toronto G Lou Williams is 17-for-17 from the foul line in the last three games.
3. The Clippers won both meetings last season, although they allowed Ross to score a career-high 51 points in the first matchup.