LOS ANGELES — Kawhi Leonard scored 24 points, Paul George had 23 and the Los Angeles Clippers broke away in the second half to beat the Toronto Raptors 108-100, AP reported.
While Leonard and George put up their usual numbers on the offensive end, the biggest key to the win was defense. After struggling to get stops during a five-losing streak, the Clippers have tightened up in defending teams over the past two games.
Los Angeles held Toronto to 37 of 96 shooting, which was the first time since Nov. 27 the Clippers have held a team under 40%,
“I thought we did a good job of talking and getting back in transition. We need to come out with a defensive mindset. That is what needs to improve for us to keep moving forward,” said Leonard, who also had a season-high 12 rebounds against the team he helped lead to the NBA title in 2019.
Ivica Zubac added 17 points for the Clippers, who had a season-high 14 dunks along with a 60-42 advantage in the paint and a 20-10 edge in fast-break points.
The Clippers were also 39 of 71 from the field, the third straight game they have made over 50%,
“All our veterans have stepped up. We have to continue to keep working defensively on our foundation. There’s going to be a lot of that moving forward, especially with the new additions,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said.
Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes each scored 20 points for Toronto, and O.G. Anunoby had 18 points. The Raptors have dropped two straight for the first time since Feb. 1.
“I think from in the paint in we didn’t finish good enough,” Toronto coach Nick Nurse said.
Leonard had 17 points in the first half, but saved his best play for the fourth quarter with a thunderous dunk over Jakob Poeltl to make it 100-85 with 5:17 remaining.
The Raptors responded with an 15-4 surge to get to 104-100 in the final minute before Zubac’s dunk pushed it back to six.
“I thought early in the game we were playing too fast and giving up the ball too early. After the first quarter we slowed down, tried to attack the paint and made passes with precision,” Leonard said.
