On a night when Kawhi Leonard scored 29 points after agreeing to a three-year contract extension earlier in the day and the Los Angeles Clippers won for the seventh time in the past eight games, coach Tyronn Lue and the rest of his squad were far from pleased after a 126-120 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night. With the Clippers having perhaps its most talented roster in franchise history, Lue has an eye on what it is going to take in the playoffs if they want to get to the NBA Finals for the first time.
Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Thursday, two days after he ranted about officiating following his team's 132-131 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Rajakovic took particular exception to how the Lakers got 23 free throws in the fourth quarter while the Raptors shot only two. The 21 free throw disparity was the largest for any quarter of an NBA game this season.
The Raptors have won three of four games since acquiring Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett from the Knicks and although it s a small sample size, there is enough evidence to suggest the Raps have made some significant changes to their style of play. TSN NBA analyst Jevohn Shepherd weighs in with his thoughts.
The New York Knicks are not only unbeaten with OG Anunoby, they are dominant when their new forward is on the floor. Anunoby scored 23 points, his most since coming to New York, and the Knicks won their fifth in a row since he joined their lineup with a 112-84 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night. Anunoby scored 16 in a first quarter, when the Knicks opened a 19-point lead that would grow to 39 in the third quarter.