RJ Barrett scored 20 points and had seven assists, leading the Toronto Raptors to a 115-108 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday afternoon. The Raptors broke a tie at halftime with a dominant third quarter, outscoring the Clippers 31-16, fueled by 19 fast-break points. This victory allowed them to split the season series with the Clippers.
Scottie Barnes added 15 points and seven rebounds for the Raptors, who are playing four straight home games, splitting the first two. Jakob Poeltl contributed a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Gradey Dick scored 18 points, Ochai Agbaji added 12, Immanuel Quickley had 11, and Ja’Kobe Walter chipped in 10.
For the Clippers, James Harden led the way with 25 points, helping the team finish a 2-2 road trip. Ivica Zubac added 18 points, and former Raptor Kawhi Leonard scored 14. Kevin Porter Jr. had 17 points, and Nicolas Batum added 11. Norman Powell, another former Raptor, did not play due to a hip injury.
Toronto played at a fast pace, taking a 36-32 lead after the first quarter. The Clippers erased a seven-point deficit to go up 45-44 on a pull-up jumper by Porter with 8:00 left in the second quarter.
The Clippers held a three-point lead with 59 seconds remaining in the half, but Poeltl made a huge block to stop Zubac from scoring on a dunk. Toronto then scored six straight points, and Amir Coffey’s 3-pointer at the buzzer tied the game 61-61 at halftime.
In the third, Toronto took control, going up by five with 6:06 left after a nice pass from Barnes to Dick for an easy layup. The Raptors then went on an 8-0 run, increasing the lead to 11 when Dick dunked with 3:31 remaining. The lead grew to 18 by the end of the third, with Agbaji scoring a layup off a defensive rebound from Walter, giving Toronto a 92-77 advantage.
In the fourth, Leonard hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 10, but missed two free throws soon after. Walter’s 3-pointer with 5:47 left pushed the lead back to 15. Barrett took a hard fall after making a layup with 4:50 to play but was able to continue playing.
