Ibaka, Lowry lead Raptors' rout of Clippers

[December 12, 2018]  Serge Ibaka scored 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and the visiting Toronto Raptors ended a two-game losing streak with a 123-99 win against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday.

Raptors guard Kyle Lowry came in 4-for-28 from the floor over the past four games, but he shot 8-for-13 while scoring 21 points. Jonas Valanciunas added 16 points off the bench, and Pascal Siakam finished with 13 points for Toronto, which was opening a four-game road trip.

Boban Marjanovic scored 18 points and fellow reserve Tyrone Wallace finished with a season-high 15 points to lead the Clippers, who won in overtime at Phoenix on Monday night. Danilo Gallinari led the starters with 11 points, and Tobias Harris finished with 10, well below his season average (21.4).

The Eastern Conference-leading Raptors played without Kawhi Leonard, who entered Tuesday eighth in the NBA in scoring (26.1).

Leonard, who played just nine games with the San Antonio Spurs last season because of a lingering quad injury, played in a season-high nine straight games before Tuesday.

Leonard hasn't played in games on consecutive days this season, and Toronto plays the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.

Fred VanVleet moved into the starting lineup and finished with a career-high 14 assists, including 10 in the first half, when the Raptors shot 63.8 percent from the floor.

 LA Clippers head coach Doc Rivers and forward Danilo Gallinari (8) in the second half against the Toronto Raptors at Staples Center. The Raptors defeated the Clippers 123-99. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Toronto led 70-57 at the break, and the Clippers never pulled any closer. Ibaka's dunk made it 81-61 with 7:57 left in the third quarter, and the Clippers' largest deficit of the season grew further when Lowry sank a 3-pointer to make it 103-71 with 1:02 left in the third.

The Raptors sprinted out to a 13-point lead in the first quarter but missed six of their first seven shots to start the second, and the Clippers began cutting into the advantage.

Milos Teodosic made 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to pull Los Angeles within 42-38 with 8:04 left in the second quarter. The Clippers couldn't get any closer, however, and the Raptors made a late push to re-establish the 13-point lead at the break.

The Clippers played without sixth man Lou Williams, who is averaging about 17 points a game. Williams is expected to miss two to three weeks with a left hamstring injury, coach Doc Rivers told reporters earlier in the day.

--Field Level Media

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