Lately, the Toronto Raptors have been winnning games by overcoming slow starts and overpowering teams in the second half.
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That's exactly the formula that the Los Angeles Clippers used today to earn a 117-106 comeback victory over the Raptors at Air Canada Centre.
Toronto led 60-53 at the break after getting a strong start from Jonas Valanciunas. The 25-year-old Lithuanian scored 12 of his team-high 16 points in the first 3:02 of game action to give the Raptors an early edge.
Fred VanVleet also scored 16 points on the night for the Raptors, who couldn't keep pace with the Clippers' offensive outburst in the second half. All-Star guards DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry combined for 11 points on 4-11 shooting in the final 24 minutes and scored a total of 22 points (on 7-21 shooting) in the contest.
Lou Williams led all scorers with 26 points for Los Angeles, which finished 2-2 on its four-game road trip. Tobias Harris chipped in 20 points for the Clippers, while Montrezl Harrell added 19 off the bench.
Here are three takeaways from Toronto's loss on Sunday night:
Disappointing defense
For a team that has prided itself on defense all season long, things have started to come undone on the defensive end of the court recently. The Raptors have surrendered over 110 points in each of the last three games and five out of their last six. Whether this has to do with overlooking teams or losing interest in the regular season is unknown, but Toronto needs to get back in gear defensively with the playoffs just around the corner.
Bl🚫cked by P🚫eltl pic.twitter.com/3FfQRG6j5B
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 25, 2018
Free throw woes continue
The Raptors shot 8-14 (57.1%) from the line Sunday, but it wasn't just their percentage that was worrisome. They didn't get to the charity stripe nearly as much as the Clippers, who continuously attacked the paint. Los Angeles had 27 free throw attempts and made 21 of them (77.8%). That disparity in free throws was essentially the difference in the game, as both teams shot essentially identical percentages from the field and 3-point range. Toronto settled for perimeter shots (36 3-point attempts), while Los Angeles didn't (18 3-point attempts).
Home court still in doubt
While it's looked like the Raptors (54-20) have been destined for the top seed in the Eastern Conference for a while now, they're going to have to step up and earn it over the final few weeks of the season. With the loss, Toronto's lead in the East shrunk to just 3.5 games over Boston (50-23), who won in Sacramento. The Raptors will host a tough Denver team on Tuesday before facing Boston twice, sandwiched around a date with the Cavaliers in Cleveland.