Raptors end 5‑game trip in LA vs. Kawhi Leonard’s Clippers

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A five-game Western trip ends Wednesday night in L.A. against Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers, with the Raptors maintaining their hold on the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference.

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All things considered, the Raptors find themselves in a decent place to avoid the dreaded play-in, a fate that seems likely for the Clippers.

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It remains to be seen how deep of a run this Raptors edition is capable of mounting in the playoffs, but the season will be viewed as a key stepping stone if a best-of-seven series is in store.

A playoff series win assuredly will be seen as a resounding success.

There are games to be played as the regular season winds down and opportunities for the Raptors to play against opponents not named the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz.

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The Clippers rebounded from a four-game losing streak to win two in a row heading into their matchup against the Raptors, who began a five-game trip earlier this season in L.A. against the Lakers — a Toronto loss before it reeled off four straight to return home with a 4-1 trip.

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A win Wednesday and the Raptors return home with a 3-2 road trip — a loss flipping it to 2-3.

Blowing a nine-point lead in Denver as the host Nuggets made all the winning plays late once again underlined Toronto’s season-long inability to close out games against a quality opponent.

Getting blown out by a desperate Suns team in Phoenix highlighted Toronto’s inability to match an opponent’s intensity level.

Despite missing three starters in Utah, the Raptors easily took care of business en route to scoring 143 points, the third-most in club history.

Recording a franchise-record 49 assists and shooting a season-high 61% from the field to complement some individual statistical feats might seem impressive until one realizes it was produced against the Jazz — a team that is in full-on tank mode and has been for a while.

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Wednesday should provide yet another glimpse of the Raptors.

How do the Raptors defend Kawhi?

By no means does it loom as some kind of a measuring stick, but at the same time it’s never bad to return home with a winning road record.

The key against the Clippers will be defending Leonard, who enters the night averaging a career-high 28.3 points.

In Tuesday’s rout of the visiting Milwaukee Bucks, Leonard poured in 28 points — including 16 in the second quarter — in 25 minutes.

Ja’Kobe Walter, who is in complete control of his jumper, is evolving into a solid defender and a legitimate rotation piece, but he lacks the strength to guard Leonard.

Rookie Collin Murray-Boyes has the strength to match up with the Klaw, while Scottie Barnes will likely see Leonard.

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The Clippers were 6-21 on Dec. 18, but have gone 30-15 in the interim, including an overtime win in Toronto when L.A. still featured James Harden.

Wednesday night also will test Toronto’s perimeter defence, knowing Brook Lopez is more than capable of draining threes.

There’s no question Jakob Poeltl is a valuable piece, both as a conduit on offence and as a paint and rim protector on defence.

His lack of foot speed makes the big man vulnerable when an opponent features a stretch five.

The Suns loss was the latest evidence, a game in which Poeltl scored zero points on one attempt from the field while recording zero rebounds in 17 minutes.

Can Poeltl defend the perimeter?

He didn’t play the following night in Salt Lake City because of load/injury management, but the Raptors didn’t need Poeltl.

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Sandro Mamukelashvili started at centre against the Jazz and his five steals were two more than his previous career high.

Just as important was Mamukelashvili’s shot making. He has been struggling of late, but he did score 23 points on 9-for-18 shooting, including 3-for-6 from beyond the three-point arc.

Brandon Ingram was a late scratch in Utah as Toronto’s best offensive player would miss only his third game of the season.

He has been dealing with a right heel issue but, by all accounts, it shouldn’t prevent Ingram from returning to the starting lineup Wednesday.

Injury-wise, the biggest concern involves Immanuel Quickley, who also sat out Toronto’s 143-127 win over the Jazz.

Clearly, the decision to sit out Poeltl was a precautionary move, given his back issues and the fact that it was a back-to-back tip for the Raptors.

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Quickley’s issue could prove dicey because he is dealing with plantar fasciitis.

In need of a point guard, the Raptors signed former first-overall draft pick Markelle Fultz to a 10-day deal.

He backed up Jamal Shead as the two did a solid job of running the offence. The caveat is it did come against a very inferior Utah team.

Shead, to put it mildly, was not good in Phoenix and responded by dishing off a career-high 15 assists against the Jazz.

He became the 10th player in Raptors history to record 15 or more assists in a game while Fultz dished off five dimes, but also committed three turnovers.

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He went 1-for-5 from the field, while Shead went 2-for-6.

Barnes and Barrett provide scoring punch

Toronto used a 49-point third quarter to take complete control of the game Monday night in Utah, a period sparked by RJ Barrett’s scoring. He ended the night by pouring in game-high 27 points on 10-for-15 shooting, including 4-for-5 from distance.

Barnes needed only 10 attempts from the field to score 20 points to complement a 10-assist and seven-rebound game.

For the Raptors, there won’t be a better feeling than to return home with a winning road record.

The losses in Denver and Phoenix won’t soon be forgotten, but a win against Kawhi and the Clippers will at least set up the Raptors for the regular season’s final 10 games.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com

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