Los Angeles Clippers Stat Monkey Brief: Clippers/Raptors (2/1/13)
Lob City Highlight of the Night
We primarily focus on aerial acrobatics in this column, but this gorgeous dime deserves another look.
Quick Recap
It wasn’t the most dominant game that the Clippers have ever played, but hey, a win is a win. The biggest key to their victory was holding the worst three point shooting team in the league to just 26.3 percent from downtown. In addition, the Clippers got to the line 36 times, the most in their last 14 games. They didn’t exactly make a lot of them, just 63.9 percent, but take enough of them and you will have an advantage in that category.
Tonight’s Game
Tonight’s matchup shouldn’t be much more challenging as the Clippers continue their road trip by traveling to Toronto to take on the 16-30 Raptors. The Clippers have already beaten Toronto by 19 points this season, and Toronto has not improved since then. They have lost the straight and rank 12th and 26th in offensive and defensive efficiency, respectively. Even with the addition of Rudy Gay, they do not improve much on either side of the ball; according to basketball-reference.com, he is below average on offense and average on defense this year. It is, however, a moot point because Gay will not be making his Raptors debut tonight.
The biggest key for the Clippers will be playing a complete game and remaining motivated as they continue this brutal road trip. They also need to continue guarding the perimeter even though Toronto is not exactly a lights out team; they rank 20th in the league with 34.9 percent from long range. On paper this game should be over quick, but the Clippers have not looked as dominant these past couple of weeks. This one might be another tough one.
