Last Call: Clippers 102 Raptors 83

• Tweet
• Pin It

Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images

Back-to-back day games? No problem. A trifecta of trap games? Easy as pie. The Clippers aren’t without their faults, but even as is, they’re a title contending team. If they can smooth out some of these blips during the regular season? It’ll be season, blouses. To Last Call!

Buzzer Reaction

L.A. Clippers

102

Final Recap | Box score

83

Toronto Raptors

MVP: Eric Bledsoe. On his 23rd birthday, the backup point guard helped the Clippers blow the game out in the fourth quarter with an impressive all-around effort: 14 points, four rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks.

That was … chippy: From the opening tip, both teams were scrapping and not giving up anything easy near the rim. Matt Barnes and John Lucas III nearly came to blows and were ejected late in the game.

X factor: The Clippers’ bench. L.A. only held a four-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but their second unit quickly changed that. Led by Bledsoe’s stellar defense and playmaking, the Clippers ran away from the Raptors.
– Jovan Buha, ClipperBlog

A Bench by any other name…
It seems the nickname Dan Woike (OC Register) gave the Clippers’ bench, #ATribeCalledBench, is gaining traction. The evidence? No less than four reporters commented today on “Scenario” blaring through Staples Center during the bench’s fourth quarter steamroll.

Tweet of the Game

Just finished Raps-Clips. Really discouraging 2nd half for Toronto. Clips’ bench had one helluva weekend.

— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) December 9, 2012

Eric Bledsoe Per36 Stat o’ The Night

ClipperBlogLive’s Best Moment
In today’s show, Jovan appears to be an embedded reporter in an undisclosed location. Charlie claims Dana Barros was his favorite player at one point. And the panelists give implicit birthday shoutouts to World B. Free, Eric Bledsoe and John Malkovich.

Check Your Messages
Matt Barnes, the new Reggie Evans folk hero
I can’t be positive that Matt Barnes is getting his credit. Even if he is, I’m going to take a minute to praise his contributions to this team. His defense, of course, has been integral for the Clippers this season. But where the Clippers have quietly found his skills of use is his rebounding and off-ball cutting.

Reggie was a fan favorite last season because he had one great skill (rebounding) and blue-collared everything else. He was vital to Los Angeles’ playoff series win and, truth be told, probably fit in better with Memphis’ identity than the Clippers. And because of his contributions, we happily skim over the fact that he didn’t shoot free throws, played average (and fouling) defense and had little to no offense.

Staples should be chanting “Bar-arnes” this season as his toughness and wing efforts has shored up the Clippers’ rebounding struggles. And, simply, his constant motion on offense creates the space that last season’s shooters did. BAR-AARNES BAR-AARNES. Pretty good for a player Chris Paul snagged from a pickup game.
- Andrew Han

Useless Point Guard Alert
As D.J. Foster pointed out in yesterday’s Last Call, the Clippers’ point guards play absolutely smothering defense. Kyle Lowry bore the brunt of their of ball hawking, scoring just four points and turning the ball over five times. Chris Paul and Eric Bledsoe demonstrated the shared ability to magnify their already potent defensive pressure on cue. A stand out example came in the second quarter when Paul was slightly shown up after getting blocked. He reacted by hounding Terrence Ross as he tried to bring the ball across the half court line. After a particularly hearty bump, Paul tipped the ball away. The only move left to impede a wide open layup was a wrap-up foul, but CP made both free throws.

Bledsoe’s elite defensive skills really shined through during the fourth quarter. Calderon was barely able to get within the arc, settling for three triples and missing all of them. When Kyle Lowry subbed in with five minutes left, he was rendered completely useless, turning the ball over twice and failing to even get a shot up. Bledsoe had two steals in the frame, one of which he cashed in all by himself. On the other, he b-lined up the court and dropped the ball off for a wide open Jamal Crawford who nailed a three. The capacity for the Tribe Called Bench to so easily turn defense into offense seems to be their primary distinction from the under performing starting unit.
- Michael Shagrin

Clippers need to improve 3-D
If we’re picking one Clippers weakness, it’s defending the weak side 3-pointer. Toronto ranks just 13th in 3-pointers per game (7.2), which is a shade above league average, but made 10 today, which would second-best behind New York. The Clippers strong side rotations are vastly improved this season, and they tend to stop the initial set of an opponent’s offense. But once an opposing guard or big man sniffs a weak side shooter open, they find them within seconds and the Clippers are slow to rotate. Often times, players are wide-open. Linas Kleiza made five 3s, despite shooting a ghastly 24.1 percent from 3 this season. For the season, the Clippers rank 24th in 3-point opponent percentage and 18th in 3s allowed.
- Jovan Buha