00:00Los 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 on Wednesday night.
00:13While 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 5-losing streak, the Clippers have tightened up in defending teams over the past two games.
00:31Los Angeles held Toronto to 37-96 shooting, which was the first time since November 27, the Clippers have held a team under 40 percent. I thought we did a good job of talking and getting back in transition.
00:46We 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.
01:03Ivica Zubik 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.
01:17The Clippers were also 39-71 from the field, the third straight game they have made over 50 percent. Photos, Clippers pull away in second half to beat Raptors 108-100 inches all our veterans have stepped up.
01:34We 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 Tyrone Liu said.
01:52Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes each scored 20 points for Toronto, and OG Ananobi had 18 points.
02:04The Raptors have dropped two straight for the first time since February 1st. I think from in the paint and we didn't finish good enough, Toronto coach Nick Nurse said.
02:18Leonard had 17 points in the first half, but saved his best play for the fourth quarter with a thunderous dunk over Jakob Pertl to make it 100-85 with 5-17 remaining.
02:28The Raptors responded with an 15-4 surge to get to 104-100 in the final minute before Zubik's dunk pushed it back to 6.
02:41I thought early in the game we were playing too fast and giving up the ball too early.
02:49After the first quarter we slowed down, tried to attack the paint and made passes with precision, Leonard said.
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