aLOS ANGELES: The Toronto Raptors shrugged off the absence of Kawhi Leonard to stretch their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference on Tuesday, breezing past the Los Angeles Clippers with a 123-99 victory.
Leonard, ruled out just hours before tip-off after complaining of a sore hip, could also miss the Raptors’ game against the reigning National Basketball Association (NBA) champions Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
Toronto, however, laid on a devastating scoring display to overwhelm the Clippers and serve notice that they remain a formidable threat even without the in-form Leonard.
Serge Ibaka and Kyle Lowry led the way for the Raptors with 25 and 21 points respectively while four other players made double figures.
The Clippers offense however struggled to make any inroads against the Toronto defense, with starters Tobias Harris and Danilo Gallinari producing just 21 points between them.
Tyrone Wallace (15 points) and Boban Marjanovic (18) produced a burst of scoring off the bench, but the Clippers never threatened a Toronto team that surged into a 36-23 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Raptors improved to 22-7 with the win to go three games clear of Milwaukee at the top of the standings. The Clippers loss gives them an identical record to city rivals the Los Angeles Lakers, with both teams on 17-10.
Earlier Tuesday, James Harden scored 29 points as the Houston Rockets halted their three-game losing streak with a 111-103 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.
Reigning NBA MVP Harden also chipped in four assists on a night when seven Rockets players finished in double digits.
Rockets point guard Chris Paul produced a triple double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists as Houston improved to 12-14.
Mike D’Antoni’s side remain near the foot of the Western Conference, one place off the bottom ahead of the Phoenix Suns, who are 4-24.
“It’s big time for us,” Harden said of the win.
“Finally back at home and seemed like we were playing well. We’ve been putting some good quarters together, but tonight was a four quarter game and we had to just build around it.”