Lou Williams Leads Clippers Past Raptors in Kawhi Leonard's 1st Game vs. Ex-Team
The Toronto Raptors know better than most having Kawhi Leonard on a talented roster is a surefire way to be a championship contender, and they got a close-up look at one Monday.
Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Raptors 98-88 at Staples Center in his first matchup against his old team since he helped lead Toronto to a title last season. Los Angeles has now won two in a row and is 7-3 overall after Lou Williams spearheaded the latest offensive effort and helped make up for Leonard's struggles.
As for the Raptors, they have impressed this season and are still 7-3 overall even though their three-game winning streak came to an end.
Notable Player Stats
- LAC F Kawhi Leonard: 12 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists, three steals and nine turnovers on 2-of-11 shooting and 0-of-4 from three-point range
- LAC G Lou Williams: 21 points, four assists and four rebounds on 7-of-15 shooting and 2-of-6 from three-point range
- LAC F Montrezl Harrell: 14 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and two steals on 7-of-15 shooting
- TOR F Pascal Siakam: 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists on 6-of-17 shooting and 1-of-6 from three-point range
- TOR G Fred VanVleet: 14 points, eight assists and three steals on 6-of-20 shooting and 1-of-6 from three-point range
Kawhi Struggles Against Old Team
Leonard will forever be a Raptors legend after averaging 26.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.8 steals last season and propelling them to a championship that included a Game 7 buzzer-beater against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round, a victory over Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals and an NBA Finals win over the powerhouse Golden State Warriors.
The fans will surely greet him with open arms when the Clippers head to Scotiabank Arena on Dec. 11 given his role in the first championship in franchise history, but the Raptors may have learned a thing or two about how to defend him along the way.
Toronto is still eighth in the league in defensive rating even without Leonard, per NBA.com, and forced him into more of a facilitator role for extended stretches by running double teams his way far from the basket. He didn't even make a field goal in the first half and struggled with turnovers as the Raptors hounded him.
While teams won't consistently be able to double him 40 feet from the basket when Paul George returns, the strategy kept the shorthanded Raptors within striking distance throughout.
Fortunately for the Clippers, Williams is one of the biggest spark plugs in the league. He carried the offense at times off the bench, helping make up for Leonard's struggles and taking advantage of the space Toronto's decision to double naturally created.
A fully healthy Clippers team will be more of a pick-your-poison bunch come playoff time, but the Raptors made it clear Leonard wasn't going to go off against his old team Monday.
Raptors Prove Their Mettle Even in Defeat
There aren't supposed to be moral victories in the NBA, but Toronto may have secured one by splitting back-to-back games against title contenders in the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers.
The Raptors defeated LeBron James and the Lakers on Sunday even though they played without Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka, and the pair missed Monday's game, as well. What's more, Toronto announced OG Anunoby was ruled out for the remainder of the contest after Leonard accidentally poked him in the eye during the first half.
The only way the Raptors were going to hang with the Clippers was with a strong defensive effort and balanced attack, much like they used in their last game against the Purple and Gold.
It would have been easy to call the back-to-back games against title contenders a successful split as soon as Anunoby was ruled out, but Toronto ensured Leonard wouldn't beat it as a scorer with its swarming defense. It also turned toward Pascal Siakam for a leadership role, and he responded by stuffing the stat sheet and keeping his team in the game even when he struggled with his stroke.
He was one of seven Raptors to score at least eight points, but he also didn't have someone like Williams—the best offensive player in the game coming off the bench—as Leonard did on the other side.
Still, the fact the Clippers didn't put this shorthanded Raptors team away until the end is a testament to the winning culture and infrastructure in place for the defending champions.
What’s Next?
Both teams are on the road Wednesday. The Clippers face the Houston Rockets, while the Raptors play the Portland Trail Blazers.
