The Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors had Sunday’s nightcap, and it was an entertaining shootout between the two squads.
Blake Griffin - 18 points, three rebounds, one assist
Blake Griffin is going to be the Los Angeles Clippers leader for the first time since his rookie year. Chris Paul‘s departure means a new play style for the Clips, who are expected to utilize Griffin’s point forward ability more times than not. On Sunday, he showed just how far he’s come. Griffin routinely put the ball on the floor and didn’t back down from being the number one option. Furthermore, he worked nicely with Los Angeles’ new backcourt of Milos Teodosic and Patrick Beverley.
Unfortunately, despite his stellar play, the Clippers couldn’t hold on and got beat by Toronto 121-131
Kyle Lowry - 17 points, four assists, one rebound
The Raptors second unit looked very shaky on Sunday. The starters, however, were excellent. And Kyle Lowry was the one leading them. Toronto is looking to push themselves over the hump, and their dynamic backcourt is going to need to work on both ends for that to happen. That’s Lowry’s game. He dropped 17 points in less than 16 minutes and was ultra-aggressive and got to the free throw line eight times.
Judging from last night, Toronto is going to have issues at the backup point guard spot, meaning Lowry will inherit a huge workload for the third-straight season. He can handle it for sure, but we have yet to see if he can continue that play throughout the postseason.
Lou Williams - 17 points, six assists, four rebounds
Lou Williams was the best player on Sunday — between both games. That’s not something I’d ever expect to say. It’s not because he’s a scrub, but no one’s ever given Williams the role where they expect him to go out and make plays. He’s been a three-point shooter for most of his career, but the ability to create fouls and get to the free throw line has always made him a tough guard.
On Sunday, that remained true. Williams dropped in nine of his points from the charity stripe and just played a solid all-around game. Should he continue that, the Clippers will have a reliable guard rotation that makes life post-Paul much more manageable.
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