Raptors bid to refocus vs. Clippers (Mar 24, 2018)
TORONTO -- The Toronto Raptors' season has gone so well that they can be disappointed with how they played even after a win.
That does not bode well for the Los Angeles Clippers, who will meet the Raptors on Sunday night at the Air Canada Centre.
The Raptors (54-19) rebounded from a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers with a 116-112 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. They were led by a triple-double from guard Kyle Lowry.
The Eastern Conference leaders were not happy with the way they did it in a game in which they trailed by 14 points in the third quarter.
"We were not sharp whatsoever," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "I mean, we didn't deserve to win that game. We found a way down the stretch but that's not playoff basketball, that's not winning basketball whatsoever.
"So many mental mistakes, we're like we're in a fog, and again, if we're serious about winning, we'll get some focus, and throughout everybody, one through 15."
It was the 12th straight win over the Nets by the Raptors, who have won three consecutive season series with Brooklyn.
The Clippers (38-34) are 10th in the Western Conference and were lamenting late mistakes in a 109-104 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Friday night.
The Clippers came back from trailing by 18 points in the third quarter to take the lead during the fourth.
"It was frustrating," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "It was a frustrating loss. I'm just disappointed in that one. Can't make that many mistakes and think you're going to win a game. They're (the Pacers) playing well, so give them credit. But, that was a frustrating game."
The Clippers are 1-2 on a trip that ends Sunday in Toronto.
Three late turnovers hurt the Clippers in the loss at Indiana.
The first was by Lou Williams, who lost the ball while he was trapped on the baseline with 1:28 left. The next was by Tobias Harris, who lost the ball to Indiana's Victor Oladipo with 35.8 seconds left. No. 3 came on a lob pass by Harris to DeAndre Jordan that became a turnover with 27.7 seconds left.
"I told them the three turnovers at the end were costly ones," Rivers said. "But it was all the other stuff that happened throughout the game is why we lost the game. When you're in the playoffs -- and this is what I call this right now for our guys -- basketball comes down to single possessions for 48 minutes.
"You're going to make mistakes because it's basketball, but you can't make the mental ones. And we made a host of those tonight. Guys forgot plays. Those things add up. I thought at the end of the day, (the Pacers) did better than us in that category. So that's on me and that's on all those guys in there (locker room), because that should never happen."
On Sunday, the Raptors will be looking to avenge a 96-91 loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles on Dec. 11.
In Toronto's win, Lowry recorded his third triple-double of the season with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists in 37 minutes.
The Raptors are two wins short of tying their franchise best of 56 in a season set in 2015-16. They own the best home record in the NBA at 30-6. The Clippers are 18-19 on the road.
The Clippers are likely facing a refocused Raptors team based on their reaction to the win over the Nets.
"It was terrible for us to come out and play the way we did," said Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan, who scored 21 points. "It was terrible. We can't have lapses like that; feel like we can go into games and turn it on and off when we want. We are playing for something bigger.
"No disrespect to them at all but we've got a bigger goal in mind. We've got to go out and treat teams like that and play hard out of the gate. Not being in a dog fight coming down the last couple of possessions."
Raptors forward/guard C.J. Miles missed his second straight game Friday with gastroenteritis.
