Kawhi Leonard scored 27 points and Darius Garland added 24 as the Clippers rolled past the Raptors 119-94 on Wednesday night, earning their third straight win.
Bennedict Mathurin contributed 23 points off the bench, while Brook Lopez scored 11 of his 14 points in the first quarter to set the tone for Los Angeles. The Clippers remain a half-game ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers for the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
Toronto was paced by Brandon Ingram with 18 points and Sandro Mamukelashvili added 13, but the Raptors have now dropped three straight and fell to sixth in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the Atlanta Hawks and a half-game ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Clippers dominated early, outscoring Toronto 23-9 over the final 6:10 of the first quarter to take a 14-point lead. Los Angeles extended the margin to 22 in the second quarter before a late 11-1 Raptors run briefly cut the deficit. Toronto struggled to capitalize on 10 offensive rebounds and shot just 14.3% (1 of 7) from the free-throw line in that quarter.
Mamukelashvili hit consecutive three-pointers in the third as Toronto tried to mount a comeback, but the Clippers pulled away, highlighted by Garland hitting a 35-foot shot at the buzzer. Los Angeles outscored Toronto 19-4 from the free-throw line, contributing to a decisive 15-point edge in that category.
Jakob Poeltl was briefly sidelined after sustaining a cut near his left eye early in the second quarter but returned to finish with 10 points.
Up next: The Raptors host the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, while the Clippers visit the Indiana Pacers the same night.
