5 things: Raptors unable to outsmart Clippers as defence struggles

Here are five takeaways from the Toronto Raptors' 124-113 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

1. The Raptors didn't even give themselves a chance because they never locked in defensively. The Clippers knew exactly what was coming and consistently countered Toronto's traps by either moving the ball to Ivica Zubac in the middle, or by swinging it around the perimeter into the corner for open threes. Zubac had 23 points and 10 offensive rebounds while L.A. nailed 15 triples.

Clippers head coach Ty Lue called timeout just two minutes in after Fred VanVleet poked it free from Paul George, and reiterated his message of taking care of the ball against Toronto's predictable traps. The veterans on the Clippers clearly received the message and finished the night with just nine turnovers against 27 assists.

The Clippers also capitalized off the Raptors' lack of rim protection by repeatedly finding Zubac in the middle, or by giving the ball to Norman Powell who only ever saw single coverage despite being the Clippers' most aggressive scorer. This is the fourth time in their last 14 games that the Raptors have given up at least 124 points.

2. Kawhi Leonard played decoy the entire night because he knew exactly how the Raptors would guard him. Despite having one of the league's best defenders in O.G. Anunoby to counter Leonard, the Raptors still consistently brought a hard double team against Leonard, who felt no pressure and made all the right passes even when Toronto swarmed him with four defenders.

The strategy worked in the sense that Leonard only scored 15 points, but the more telling stat is that he only had one turnover while dishing out eight assists. Contrast that to their first meeting post-championship, where Leonard had nine turnovers on 2-of-11 shooting while the Clippers couldn't even crack 100 points.

It's a sign that opposing stars know exactly how the Raptors will approach them as the surprise factor is gone. All of the innovative zones, the trapping, the full-court pressing — they feel more scripted than innovative when teams have faced it time and time again.

3. Pascal Siakam overcame a slow first half for another strong showing. Siakam couldn't find the touch on his outside shot despite getting clean looks from midrange and from deep, which resulted in an uncharacteristic 2-for-11 shooting performance in the first half. His approach became much more direct coming out of halftime, where he was getting downhill against every defender the Clippers threw at him and challenging Zubac at the rim.

Siakam was especially lethal in the fourth quarter when he scored 14 of Toronto's 31 points, including a pair of absurd transition finishes where he picked up his dribble above the three-point line while still being able to stretch to the rim for layups. Lue compared him pre-game to Giannis Antetokounmpo and his lofty comparison was fairly apt.

4. Gary Trent Jr. and Powell played each other to a standstill. Trent Jr. did most of his damage in the first half as a secondary threat attacking closeouts or spotting up for threes, while Powell took the same approach in the second half. The difference with the two is that Powell has more explosiveness and length to get all the way to the rim, whereas Trent Jr. shows a bit more finesse with runners and short jumpers, but their effect on the game is virtually identical. They both finished with 20-plus points with little to show for in rebounds and assists.

Toronto got a cheaper deal on a younger player in swapping Powell for Trent Jr. two seasons back, but it hardly moved the needle for the team and they face a similar scenario in having to make a decision on Trent Jr. ahead of free agency.

5. The Raptors lost two players to injuries at their weakest positions. Fred VanVleet distributed the ball nicely but he couldn't get the threes to drop, before checking out early in the third quarter due to back tightness. Christian Koloko followed suit in the fourth quarter with knee soreness after finishing an impressive eurostep dunk in transition.

The Raptors will probably adjust by playing entire five-man groups of 6-foot-9 wings, which would probably leave them short on three-point shooting and shot blocking. In order for that formula to work, they can't get so little out of Juancho Hernangomez and Thad Young who were both actively bad on both ends in this loss to the Clippers. Hernangomez missed four wide open threes to begin the third quarter as the Clippers started to pull away, while Young's ground-bound defence at centre was an open invitation for the Clippers to attack the paint.