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.
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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.