Toronto Raptors fight back, but fall short against Los Angeles Clippers

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — James Harden had 24 points and 12 rebounds, Norman Powell added 24 points and the Los Angeles Clippers narrowly defeated the Toronto Raptors 105-103 on Saturday night for their fourth straight victory.

Ivica Zubac had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Clippers, who have won three in a row at the Intuit Dome after starting 0-4 in their opulent new home.

Ochai Agbaji and Immanuel Quickley each scored 21 points for the Raptors, who have lost three straight and seven of eight.

After Quickley hit a tying 3-pointer with 39 seconds left, Powell and Harden combined to miss three of six free throws, leaving the door open for Toronto. But Quickley and RJ Barrett both missed hard short shots under defensive pressure before Jakob Poeltl missed a putback attempt with 4.1 seconds left.

Kawhi Leonard still has not played this season while rehabbing his right knee and will not travel on the Clippers’ upcoming three-game trip, coach Tyronn Lue said.

TAKEAWAY

Raptors: Quickley was outstanding in the fourth quarter in his first appearance since missing eight games with a pelvic contusion.

Clippers: LA showed resilience in the third set of back-to-back matches this season after winning in Sacramento on Friday.

KEY MOMENT

Toronto was down three when Poeltl made his first free throw and intentionally missed his second, allowing the ball to bounce right back to him. But he missed his nine-yard return and Harden dumped the ball on the ground.

KEY STAT

Kevin Porter Jr. had 15 points in his highest scoring performance since returning to the NBA this fall after spending a year out of the league following a domestic violence charge in September 2023. He averaged 19.3 points per game for Houston in 2022- 2023. .

NEXT

Raptors: Visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

Clippers: Visit the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.

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