LA Clippers-Raptors Player Grades: L.A. back on track

The LA Clippers completely turned their performance around to seal a 104-98 win in their home preseason opener against the Toronto Raptors.

See, you didn’t need to worry, LA Clippers fans. After a woeful 120-75 loss to the Golden State Warriors in their preseason opener, the Clippers are back on the right track again with a 104-98 home win against the Toronto Raptors. The narrow, six-point margin makes it sound like a close game, and that it was at the end. But it was only when Doc Rivers used a lineup featuring camp invite Xavier Munford and rookies Brice Johnson and Diamond Stone for most of the fourth quarter that the Raptors went on a 16-0 run and closed the gap.

For the first three quarters, the Clippers were fully in control. And, most importantly, they looked like themselves again.

The offense came out firing and the intensity was clearly increased from the Warriors game, resulting in some emphatic pick-and-roll play and improved defense early on.

Doc Rivers also opted for the smallest starting lineup we should see this season. With J.J. Redick not playing, Doc started Raymond Felton at the two and kept things smaller still by starting Austin Rivers at small forward.

Let’s look into the performances of some of the Clippers’ key contributors against Toronto, starting at the top with Blake Griffin who set the tone all night.

Los Angeles Clippers. BLAKE GRIFFIN. A+. Blake Griffin reminded us he was back in the LA Clippers’ open scrimmage by posterizing Brice Johnson. Against the Raptors, Griffin reminded us again that he’s well and truly back by tallying 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the first half alone. He finished with 24 points (10-of-13 shooting), eight rebounds and five assists, going 2-of-3 from three-point range to show off the practice he’s put in on his range over the summer.<p>Griffin’s moving at his explosive best, dishing out passes from the elbows and the post, adding some much needed rebounding and pushing the pace in transition, and beginning a season in which we should see more shooting range from him than ever. This is the performance he and the Clippers needed.</p>. PF

Chris Paul had 12 assists by the end of the first half. It was that kind of night for him and the Clippers, with the Point God orchestrating the offense, pushing the pace, and even dribbling through the hopeless legs of Patrick Patterson. He looked to facilitate rather than score throughout his 27 minutes playing time, taking just four shots and scoring seven points. But he did everything else brilliantly, finding clear look after clear look for his teammates, executing pick-and-rolls with DeAndre Jordan that were missed against Golden State, and simply putting on a passing clinic with 15 total assists. Not to mention three steals at the other end, too. The only problem was Paul racking up five fouls.. PG. Los Angeles Clippers. CHRIS PAUL. A

A. A rapid double-double is what the LA Clippers would have wanted from DeAndre Jordan to get their first preseason win, and that’s exactly what they got. He had an explosive start and tallied 13 points in the first half alone, finishing with 14 points, 10 rebounds and a block in his 25 minutes. When Jordan gets going in the pick-and-roll, the Clippers’ offense starts to click. And with him being a typically strong presence in the paint, he was a key part of the turnaround performance.. C. Los Angeles Clippers. DEANDRE JORDAN

B. Austin Rivers starting at small forward was a completely different look from Luc Mbah a Moute’s defense or Wesley Johnson’s energy, but this is the time of the year for Doc to try different rotations and lineups. For a guard-heavy team like the Raptors, whose primary scoring comes from their backcourt (primarily DeMar DeRozan on Wednesday with Kyle Lowry out), having Rivers to defend faster players and take some of the pressure off Chris Paul to cover the best guard helps. Rivers looked solid, starting his scoring with a pull-up against Patterson and adding a confident three to finish with 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting.. PG. Los Angeles Clippers. AUSTIN RIVERS

Los Angeles Clippers. RAYMOND FELTON. B+. Raymond Felton looks like a great minimum signing already. He’s smart with the ball in his hands, he found a quick connection with Jordan early on with a powerful alley-oop, and he brings a new driving element that the bench will appreciate. Felton finishes fairly strong inside for a 6’1″ point guard, and used that aggressiveness to draw eight free throws for eight easy points, bumping up his total to 17 for the night. If he keeps driving like that to limit the overuse of Jamal Crawford pull-ups and gains easy opportunities at the line, Felton should emerge as a fan favorite.. PG

D. Marreese Speights is the LA Clippers’ newest offensive spark plug. He can provide instant bursts of offense off the bench with his three-point stroke and all around shooting ability, which resulted in 14 points (and two threes) in 17 minutes against the Warriors. However, against the Raptors, Speights had a cool night: he finished with six points on 2-of-9 shooting (0-of-5 from three). It’s for that reason he’s getting a low grade, but we could easily see a turnaround next game.. C. Los Angeles Clippers. MARREESE SPEIGHTS

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The rest of the bench was mixed. Alan Anderson and Brandon Bass are both starting to look like valuable additions already, providing energy at both ends of the floor that’s starting to make a difference. Bass chipped in with six points on 3-of-3 shooting and three rebounds in his 15 minutes, and Anderson provided some aggressive defense and a three-pointer in his 10-minute showing.

Felton in particular, as we’ve discussed, will be coming off the bench almost exclusively, and showed just how much he can help the team.

When he was left responsible for the Clippers’ weakest unit of the night, though, featuring Munford, Johnson and Stone, Felton could only lead them so much. That’s understandable, and at least he persevered to lead a struggling lineup to the end through some sloppy turnovers of his own. Felton did his part in the dying moments, making a vital turnaround jumper in the final 40 seconds to secure the lead.

Next: Blake's defense is the key to beating the Warriors' 'Death Star'

Until that collapse from players like Munford, Johnson and Stone, who likely won’t make the rotation (or the team altogether for Munford), there was so much to like about the LA Clippers’ performance. With the same competitiveness, they can look to secure another win on October 10 against the Utah Jazz.

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