Quick Reaction: Clippers 121, Raptors 117

You could tell the presence of Zubac deterred CMB from the rim on multiple occasions. I’m also not sure if CMB ate some popcorn before the game but he was fumbling on a few attempts down low. Though he was able to cover up those misses and turnovers with a few trips to the free throw line and his defense continues to just be incredible. On one possession he walled off a drive, helped deter another and then blocked the three off the kick out. He also forced a turnover after switching off Zubac onto Kris Dunn. The versatility and mobility for a player of his size is seriously mind-boggling. He left the game for a long stretch with a ‘blister’ but returned in the fourth quarter seemingly unafraid of Big Zu. He finished a roll with a powerful lefty slam and later muscled his way through Zubac for the and-one. He did struggle to make his usual impact on the glass tonight as he was unable to secure a single defensive rebound.

While his first quarter box score was nothing impressive (2reb 1ast), Barnes’ defense on Harden was key in holding the Clippers down early. In the second he ramped up his scoring aggression, firing up 8 shots and scoring 8 points while continuing his defense, ultimately holding Harden to 3/13 shooting in the first half. From that point on he steadily added baskets. Hitting an up and under step through. Then a side step middy over Zubac. Using his post game to find cutters on multiple occasions for buckets or fouls. He fully hit his stride in overtime, scoring all of Toronto’s eight points. Trying to hold off the barrage of Harden buckets. He backed down Kobe Sanders for the righty hook. Same action on the next possession, this time turning around for the jumper. Getting to the line for two off a Harden foul. Finally, in the post again pivoting for the layup that touched every part of the rim before dropping. If he had that energy all game this would have been a Raptors win, but his offense lacked aggression and Harden figured him out as the game went on, beating him to the basket on numerous occasions.

In the opening frame, Shead was by far the most impactful contributor to Toronto’s 8 point lead. He finished the quarter with 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists. The Clippers biggest run early began when he was on the bench. He continued his aggressive driving in the second, this time parlaying his earlier driving into buckets for teammates. He nearly finished with a double double in the first half alone with 13 points and 8 assists. In the second half he only scored an additional two points but did have five more assists, setting a career-high. His impact as a lead guard can’t be overstated. Between the elite playmaking and the defense that’s even better, he is proving to be more than just a backup point guard.

Ingram’s defense has been steadily improving over the last few weeks and tonight he continued to make better reads, even blocking a Harden three pointer and leaking out in transition. We all know what to expect from him offensively and he made it look easy early. The start was excellent but as the game ticked on I was fairly unimpressed with some of his decision making, he had some silly turnovers on double teams and took some really bad shots over multiple defenders. As we get into the later parts of the season and things ramp up competitively, he HAS to make better reads. Especially when we get to the playoffs, teams will exploit his lack of playmaking and it could be Toronto’s downfall.

Nothing special for Mamu early as he only played 8 minutes in the first half. He did clank a three off the backboard (no rim) in the first quarter so that’s always pretty. But he then followed that up with a beautiful upfake and reverse pivot for a lefty lay. The whiplash I got from the ugly miss to the pretty layup was wild. The third quarter is where he really got his game going. With CMB out with ‘blisters’ he got 9 minutes and scored 9 points. Working the pick n’ roll with Shead beautifully. All of his buckets came in the paint and he provided some really good minutes and energy at a key moment. In overtime the only thing I recall is he got cooked by Harden on a switch and that kind of sealed it for the Clippers. Not really his fault because I don’t expect him to be able to stop Harden but it stings nonetheless.

Lawson could never really get going tonight, and with good games from Agbaji and Dick, his minutes were sporadic. He did poke the ball loose which led to a Dick transition layup but otherwise he went unnoticed.

This may be one of the first games where Matt Devlin didn’t mention how many threes Agbaji has made on the season after every single make. Of late Agbaji has found the bottom of the net more and more, tonight he provided an outlet in the corners and nailed three threes in the opening half. The second half his contributions offensively tapered off significantly, just scoring four points off free throws. I thought the ball found its way into his hands far too much in the closing minutes of the fourth and overtime. He missed two threes and a floater in the span of about 3 game minutes towards the end of the fourth and beginning of OT. A good start that ended up leaving a bad taste in the mouth.

So… I was starting my outline for Dick’s recap in the third quarter. I was writing about how he was ‘hitching a ride on the struggle bus’ in this one after his season-best performance… Literally in the middle of writing it he hit back-to-back threes, dove on a loose ball and threw the nastiest shovel pass full court to Agbaji. Then in the fourth quarter he hit another three and followed up a Shead fastbreak miss with a wide-open dunk. I don’t think I’ve ever literally eaten my words in real time, but tonight I did. His performance in the second half was a complete 180 from the first. Hopefully this can be a sign of things to come.

Martin struggled defensively in this one, he picked up 3 fouls just two minutes into the second quarter. Offensively he filled space really well. When Ingram was doubled he provided an outlet in the middle of the key and hit the floater, then filled the open space outside the arc off a Shead drive and drilled the three. His foul trouble kept him out of the game until the beginning of the fourth and at that point he didn’t contribute much.

Rajakovic has gotten great starts out of his squad in the last two games, this time the Raptors jumping out to an early 18-4 lead. The starting lineup has been excellent defensively and his decision to put Barnes on Harden was a big contributor to the lead. Whenever the Clippers went on runs he was usually quick to call a timeout. He won his only challenge but the team didn’t score for the final three and a half minutes of the fourth quarter which is less than ideal. There were a few unsuccessful lineups that he probably left out for too long but that happens when you have so few available players. It did lead to some big runs from the Clippers when the Raptors offense stalled but guys gotta get a breather. Also, it’s not as if Rajakovic can make the shots for them.