Harden contributed 24+12+7 on 5-of-17 shooting, Powell was narrowly injured by 24 points, and the Clippers beat the Raptors to win four in a row

On November 10, Beijing time, the 2024-25 NBA regular season continued, the Clippers defeated the Raptors 105-103 at home, the Clippers ushered in 4 consecutive wins, and the Raptors suffered 3 consecutive defeats.

Statistics

Clippers: Harden finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists on 5-of-17 shooting, 2-of-8 three-pointers and 12-of-13 free throws; Zubac had 14 points and 12 rebounds and Powell had 24 points

Raptors: RJ Barrett 13 points and 6 rebounds, Quickley 21 points, Abaji 21 points, Dick 15 points

Background

The Raptors are currently on a two-game losing streak, with their record dropping to 2-7 and temporarily sitting in 13th place in the East. The Raptors are averaging 118.0 points per game to rank sixth in the league, but they are conceding 124.7 points per game, the most of any team in the league. During the last two consecutive losses, the Raptors have conceded an average of 121.5 points per game. The Raptors, meanwhile, are also suffering from injuries, with Scottie Barnes (Orbital Fracture), Garrett Temple (Back), Kelly Olynyk (Back) and Jacoby Walter (Shoulder) all missing the game against the Clippers today.

The Clippers have been on a good momentum lately, beating the Kings 107-98 in their last game, ushering in a wave of three straight wins, and their record has also improved to 5-4, temporarily ranking 9th in the West. With Kawhi Leonard (knee injury) out and Paul George (joining the 76ers) leaving, Powell has taken on some of the team's offensive responsibilities, averaging 25.7 points per game so far this season. However, the Clippers rely on defense the most, conceding 106.7 points per game and the second-fewest in the league. During the three-game winning streak, the Clippers conceded just 100.0 points per game.

Game recap

At the beginning of the game, Powell, who returned to the home court, played more confidently, came up and hit a three-pointer with the assistance of Harden, and caused Abaji to foul the defense and hit a free throw. A few rounds later, Powell hit another three-pointer from the outside to help the Clippers get off to an 11-7 run. However, as the leader, Harden was a little slow to heat up, and his first three shots were all missed. With 5:25 left in the quarter, Harden hit his first field goal of the game as the Raptors took a 14-13 lead. Immediately afterward, Harden drew a defensive foul on Dick at the top of the arc and made all three free throws to give the Clippers an 18-14 lead. The Raptors Youth Army did not show weakness, and scored 6 points in a row with free throws, and once again surpassed by 2 points. At 2:07, Porter Jr. broke through to attract the defense and sent an assist, and Harden received the ball and made a decisive shot and hit a three-pointer. Subsequently, Dunn and Coffey also made contributions. At the end of the first quarter, the Clippers led the Raptors 28-22. Harden shot 2-of-7 from the field in the first quarter, including 1-of-3 from three-point range, to finish with eight points, three rebounds and two assists.

In the second quarter, the Raptors continued to chase points, and after Quickley scored three points into the net, the score was chased to 31-33. At 8 minutes and 30 seconds, when Powell was covering under the basket, he was hit by Poeltl's shoulder under the basket and hit his jaw, and he fell to the ground in pain for a long time. The game restarted, and Batum, Porter Jr. and Coffey also combined to hit four three-pointers to give the Clippers a 45-31 lead. The Raptors responded immediately, with Battle, Dick and Abaji hitting three-pointers in quick succession to help the Raptors stop the bleeding. Harden immediately came on the court when he saw the situation, and when he came up, he assisted Zubac to complete the empty dunk. However, in the final 1:44 of the quarter, the Clippers did not score a point. At the end of the first half, the Clippers led the Raptors 52-47.

In the rematch, Abaji's three-pointer allowed the Raptors to narrow the gap to two points, however, the Clippers immediately launched a 12-4 offensive surge to rewrite the score to 64-54. Dick's three-pointer blocked the Clippers' offensive momentum, and Abaji and Mitchell also sent charcoal in the snow, and the Raptors once again narrowed the gap to four points. At critical moments, Harden's jump shot and Mann's continuous scoring helped the Clippers stabilize their morale. The Raptors responded with Barrett hitting a three-pointer and Boucher making a layup to tie the score at 66-72. In the final minute and a half of the quarter, Harden not only hit a three-pointer, but also made free throws to widen the margin for his team. At the end of the third quarter, the Clippers led the Raptors 81-70.

In the final quarter, the Raptors came up with a wave of 5-0 offense, chasing the score to 75-81. But with Porter Jr., Batum and Powell and others returning the color, the Clippers instantly regained a 12-point advantage. The Raptors didn't give up, and at the 7-minute mark, Abaji hit a three-pointer from the defense to help the Raptors chase the score to 82-89. The Clippers immediately called a halt, and Harden also re-entered the game, causing Fernando to foul the defense and make all 2 free throws. The Raptors continued to chase the score, and Quickley, Abaji, Fernando and Boucher combined to play a wave of 10-2 offensive to tie the score at 95. At 2 minutes and 23 seconds, Harden made two stable free throws to help the Clippers stabilize their morale. Immediately after, Harden grabbed the rebound and assisted Powell on a three-pointer to give the Clippers a five-point advantage. But the Raptors immediately responded with a 7-2 run to tie the score at 102 again, with 38.1 seconds left in the game. The game restarted, but Powell made 1 of 2 free throws, leaving the Raptors with 35.5 seconds. With Quickley missing a layup, Harden grabbed a key rebound. Barrett missed a layup, Powell grabbed the rebound, and Powell made 1 of 2 free throws. The Clippers used foul tactics, Poeltl made 1 of 2 free throws and grabbed a rebound, but missed a layup, and the Clippers narrowly won.

Both sides start

Clippers: James Harden, Norman Powell, Ivica Zubac, Terence Mann, Derrick Jones Jr

Raptors: RJ Barrett, Emmanuel Quickley, Ochai Abaji, Jacob Poeltl, Grady Dick