NBA News Wire
Clippers 118, Raptors 105
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
LOS ANGELES — Blake Griffin continued his offensive onslaught and the Los Angeles Clippers settled down in the fourth quarter to snap a two-game losing streak with a 118-105 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night at Staples Center.
Griffin, the Clippers’ All-Star forward, had 36 points and eight rebounds. Guard Jamal Crawford added 21 and center DeAndre Jordan had 18 and 13 rebounds for Los Angeles (35-18). Guard DeMar DeRozan had 36 points and 8 assists and guard Kyle Lowry added 19 points for the Raptors (26-24), who lost their past four games in Los Angeles.
The Clippers used 7-0 and 10-0 scoring runs in the second quarter to take control of the game at halftime, with Griffin playing only a minor part during that stretch.
Field goals by guard Willie Green, Crawford and Jordan, and a Crawford free throw, accounted for the 7-0 surge that made it 45-35 with 5:59 left until intermission. Then, with 2:40 to play and the lead at 58-47, Crawford pulled up for a 28-foot 3-pointer to launch the 10-0 burst and guard Darren Collison ended it with a 3-pointer off a rebound assist by Jordan.
Collison’s basket made it 65-47 Clippers and it was 67-51 at halftime after DeRozan made 1 of 2 free throws with 5 seconds remaining.
The first quarter was the Griffin and DeRozan show, with the Cippers’ forward scoring his team’s first five points and 19 of the 21 he had at the break. DeRozan, meanwhile, gave Toronto its only lead, at 8-7, with a fast break lay-in off a Griffin turnover and had 12 of his first-half total of 19. Crawford had 17 at halftime in support of Griffin.
The Clippers, who made 16 of a season-high 26 free throws in the quarter, led 83-62 after a Jordan free throw with 6:31 left and still were in front by 18, at 91-73, with 3:48 to play in the quarter. But with guard Kyle Lowry getting 6 of his 13 for the quarter the Raptors went on a 10-1 charge to close it to 92-83 heading into the fourth quarter.
They were never able to mount another charge, however.
NOTES: Clippers F Blake Griffin is the only player in the past 11 years to average at least 23 points, nine rebounds and three assists and shoot 50 percent or better from the field. Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan were the last to do it, both in 2002-03. … Raptors G DeMar DeRozan has been selected as a reserve for the Eastern Conference all-star team. DeRozan is averaging 22 points per game and has scored 18 or more in 10 consecutive road games. … Toronto ended a five-game Western Conference road trip. … The Raptors have played 28 road games, the most in the Eastern Conference. … Clippers C DeAndre Jordan is trying to become just the third player in NBA history to lead the league in field goal percentage (65.3) and rebounds per game (14). The others were Dwight Howard in 2009-10 and Wilt Chamberlain, who accomplished it eight times from 1960-61 to 1972-73.
