Norman Powell Stars as Defensive Woes Plague Raptors in Loss to Clippers

The Toronto Raptors may have stopped Kawhi Leonard but it was Norman Powell and the rest of the Los Angeles Clippers they had no defensive answers for

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Raptors seemed to have a simple goal Tuesday night: Stop Kawhi Leonard.

Slowing superstars has become the calling card for Nick Nurse-coached teams. Make opposing teams play left-handed, if you will. If Leonard is their go-to guy, Nurse wanted to make the Los Angeles Clippers go to someone else. In that sense, it was mission accomplished for the Raptors. If, however, the goal was to win, Toronto didn't even come close, falling 124-113 to snap a two-game streak Tuesday night.

Toronto's defense has been a mess far too often this season. For a team that prides itself on creating chaos, it's the Raptors who have been unable to stay poised when opposing teams start moving the ball. A pass or two to the weak side, a kick-out from the paint, or a simple pass out of pressure creates easy buckets for opposing teams almost on a nightly basis.

When the Raptors sent four bodies at Leonard late in the first half, the 31-year-old just scoffed at the pressure, finding Norman Powell above the break for a wide-open three-pointer. A quarter later, the Clippers created another easy three for Powell when an over-aggressive closeout by Pascal Siakam allowed the former Raptor to side-step in the corner and nail the open bucket.

"Just take what the defense is giving, not forcing it, not worrying about shots," Clippers coach Ty Lue said of Leonard who finished with just 15 points on 5-for-12 shooting. "We knew Nick wasn’t going to let him play, so double teams, triple teams, just making the right reads, the right pass. … That’s what it takes to win. You’ve got to sacrifice."

It's one thing when Leonard is making the defensive plays, an experienced defensive star who can make an over-aggressive play on the ball, as he did picking off Scottie Barnes' one-handed skip pass to the corner. But the Raptors haven't been able to connect defensively and pick up for one another when their gambles don't pay off. 

Instead, Toronto's aggressiveness just turns into open driving lanes without a reliable center to protect the paint. Powell, for example, scored 10 of his 22 points in the paint with little-to-no resistance.

“We have seen that a lot right? He gets going downhill and with his speed and athleticism it’s trouble and he had it going," Nurse said of Powell. "He was making a lot of really good plays both shooting and passing and getting into the paint with some explosiveness."

Ivica Zubac, meanwhile, L.A.'s 7-foot center just dominated Toronto on the boards, grabbing 10 offensive rebounds to go with his team-high 23 points.

Gary Trent Jr. Shines in Powell's Return

Even on Powell's return to Toronto, it was hard not to see why Toronto was so enthralled with Gary Trent Jr. back in 2020. His catch-and-shoot three-point shooting isn't quite as good as Powell's but it's improving. He nailed a first-quarter three right over Powell then showed off his often-overused inside game, slithering past Paul George for a mid-range jumper before using working a two-man game with Thad Young for a bucket at the rim.

Trent isn't quite scoring with the efficiency that made Powell so special, but he's stepped into that bench void Powell filled so perfectly, dropping 20 points on 8-for-16 shooting Tuesday night.

Scottie Barnes Staying Aggressive

It's now been two stellar games in a row for Scottie Barnes who was once again attacking the rim without much hesitation Tuesday night. He repeatedly went right at Zubac, even toying with him on the perimeter in the third quarter before blowing by him for a bucket through contact.

The Raptors aren't expecting a 17-point, 13-rebound, and eight-assist performance every night from their second-year forward, but the consistency in effort and aggressiveness has to be there regardless of the performance.

Pascal Siakam Adds Quiet 36

It took a little while for Pascal Siakam to get going Tuesday with all the attention the Clippers were paying him, but the 28-year-old did everything he could to keep the Raptors close as Los Angeles began to pull away. He was borderline unstoppable in the second half, connecting on 11 of his 13 shots and scoring 27 of his game-high 26 after the break.

"I thought he played really hard at both ends and he kept battling," Nurse said. "And it wasn't easy out there for him tonight either. They had a lot of schemes for him a lot of size on him and a lot of sides of the rim and he kept battling and finding a way but not quite enough from some others, I guess."

Raptors Thank Norman Powell

After almost three years apart, Toronto finally had its chance to thank Powell for six incredible seasons with the Raptors. It wasn't quite the ovation Kyle Lowry received, but Toronto stood up and applauded the former Raptors guard whose tribute video aired at the first timeout.

Thank you for everything, @npowell2404 🤝 pic.twitter.com/ffV8qCnj25

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 28, 2022

Powell stood up, waiving his arms to thank the Raptors faithful. He heard it again from Toronto, albeit a rather quiet applause when he eventually checked into the game midway through the first.

"It was amazing. Definitely something I’ve been looking forward to, coming back to Toronto and playing in front of the fans again, getting an ovation," Powell said. "“I just wanted to come out and get a win, whatever it took. I definitely had the (game) circled. I looked forward to it. It was fun competing against these guys. Talking to them throughout the game, it’s always fun times."

Injury Update

Fred VanVleet briefly left in the first quarter with lower back stiffness, the team announced. He returned to the game but wasn't quite himself and was held to just four minutes in the second half.

Christian Koloko too left early with right knee soreness.

Up Next: Memphis Grizzlies

The Raptors will wrap up the year with a back-to-back starting Thursday night against Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies at 7:30 p.m. ET.