Three takeaways from Clippers blowout win over Raptors

In Kawhi Leonard’s official return to Toronto since bringing The North their first NBA Championship last season, the Clippers worked their way to a huge 112-92 victory over the Raptors and here are the takeaways from the victory.

The LA Clippers came away with a huge victory in what was an emotional night for star forward Kawhi Leonard as he made his way past the Canadian border for the first time since defeating the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals to give the Raptors their first NBA Championship last season.

Leonard, of course, did not disappoint, posting 23 points along with five rebounds and six assists while posting a +21 while on the floor.

A big part of the Clippers victory came from a 37-14 second quarter, propelled by Leonard and Lou Williams‘ offensive outbursts. It was the worst quarter the Raptors had all season scoring-wise which led to easy buckets on the other end for the Clippers.

With that said, here are some takeaways from the victory at Scotiabank Arena.

Paul George Cannot Shoot Himself Out of Slumps

The offense was clicking on all cylinders as a whole for most of the night, but Paul George struggled to ever really get going, shooting 3-14 from the field and 2-12 from beyond the arc and scoring 13 points. Despite his poor shooting, he continuously tried to shoot himself out of his slump and in one instant threw up two bad shots that were blocked by Raptors forward Pascal Siakam.

This was truly George’s first “bad” performance in a Clippers uniform, but hopefully, this kind of shooting output does not become an issue as George is likely the number one scoring option behind Leonard, but having talent around you such as Lou Williams will always help.

How Will Patrick Beverley’s Concussion Effect Guard Depth?

Patrick Beverley took a pretty heavy screen from Marc Gasol in the second quarter, which led to the players jarring with each other with words after the play and Beverley did not return to the game after being diagnosed early on in the third quarter.

With this comes another guard injury to the Clippers, albeit a minor one, with guard Landry Shamet still sidelined. Beverley will more than likely miss the Clippers’ next game against Minnesota on Friday and may miss the game to follow against Chicago on Saturday.

Expect Lou Williams to take over the primary point guard duties in Beverley’s absence but also expect some action from young guard Derrick Walton Jr. who has shown some flashes of becoming a solid bench option for an already deep Clippers roster. Rookie Amir Coffey could also see action as well if Doc Rivers decides to mix it up a bit.

Clippers Defense is Elite No Matter What Stats or Rankings Say

The Raptors entered this matchup ranked 13th in scoring and 16th in offensive shooting percentage and those numbers will likely change after a stifling Clippers defensive performance which saw Toronto shoot 35.2 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from beyond the arc.

Siakam led the way for the Raptors scoring wise with 24 points, but even he shot 9-20 from the field while many others excluding Norman Powell had poor shooting outputs.

The great thing about the Clippers defense is that it leads to good offense, which was the case in that big second quarter and beyond which created space on the scoreboard between the teams despite a run by the Raptors here and there. If Doc Rivers can get his team to play this kind of lockdown defense night-in and night-out, opposing offenses should expect to have to make difficult shots to stay in the game.

The Clippers victory was number 19 on the season for them, moving LA to a 19-7 record and a 6-6 record away from Staples Center. The win moved the Clippers to the number two seed in the Western Conference behind the Lakers.

Up next for the Clippers is a matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night at Target Center.