Clippers Struggle Against Raptors, Suffer First Loss Of Preseason
VANCOUVER (AP) — Kyle Lowry scored 26 points in 21 minutes, leading the Toronto Raptors to a 93-73 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night in a preseason game.
The All-Star point guard, who arrived at training camp noticeably slimmer after a summer of healthy eating and grueling workouts, shot 7 for 10 from the field and 11 for 12 from the free throw line.
JJ Redick led the Clippers with 15 points, while Blake Griffin — who knocked the shot clock off its mooring with a thunderous dunk during warmups — added 14.
If you missed it, here's the video of Blake Griffin breaking the shot clock during pregame.
Here is Blake Griffin's pregame dunk that broke the shot clock https://t.co/fikJZo5dnM
— Rob Perez (@World_Wide_Wob) October 4, 2015
CLIPPERS: Paul Pierce made his only shot and scored two points in 9 minutes off the bench. He was booed after leading the Washington Wizards to a sweep of the Raptors in last season's playoffs.
RAPTORS: Jonas Valanciunas, fresh off a strong EuroBasket performance in helping Lithuania earn an Olympic berth, had 10 points and 12 rebounds. Luis Scola scored 13 points and DeMar DeRozan finished with 11.
NEWCOMERS: Offseason acquisitions DeMarre Carroll, Bismack Biyombo, Scola, and Canadian Cory Joseph all had solid debuts for the Raptors.
BACK IN VANCOUVER: The game drew a capacity crowd of 19,000 that included former Vancouver Grizzlies guard Mike Bibby. The Grizzlies played in Vancouver for six seasons before moving to Memphis.
"It's an amazing city," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "Without saying too much, I miss Vancouver. It's just a great city, it really is. It's vibrant, it's just nice. Deserves a team, along with Seattle."
UP NEXT: The Clippers open a two-game series against Charlotte in China next Sunday. The Raptors play the Golden State Warriors in San Jose, California on Monday.
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