Late-game slips against Clips cost Raptors

TORONTO Lou Williams and the Los Angeles Clippers, fighting for their playoff lives, turned on the offence in the fourth quarter to defeat the Toronto Raptors 117-106 on Sunday.

After trailing by as many as 18 early, the Clippers finally took the lead in a third quarter, in which they outscored Toronto 27-20. Tied at 80-80 going into the fourth, Los Angeles opened the quarter on a 16-2 run.

The Raptors closed to within five at 105-100 after a 7-0 run.

But Williams carried the Los Angeles offence with 18 of his 26 points in the final quarter.

The Clippers (39-34) are looking to claw their way back into the playoff picture. The Raptors (54-20) are looking to get their game right going into the playoffs.

Tobias Harris had 20 points and Montrezl Harrell added 19 for the Clippers.

Jonas Valanciunas led the Raptors with 16 points. DeMar DeRozan, on three-of-12 shooting, and birthday boy Kyle Lowry, on four-of-nine, each had 11 points.

The Clippers won 96-91 when the teams met in Los Angeles in December.

Valanciunas scored the Raptors’ first eight points and 12 of their first 14 as Toronto, showing the focus it lacked for most of Friday’s comeback win over lowly Brooklyn, ran up a 27-9 lead. The Clippers missed 10 of their first 14 shots.

Paced by the second unit, the Raptors maintained their lead in the second. Despite a 9-0 L.A. run and four-minute-plus Toronto scoring drought, the Raptors led 60-53 at the half.

Toronto made eight of its first 12 three-point attempts en route to making at least 10 three-pointers for a franchise-record 16th straight game. But after making their first eight, they hit on just one of the next 10 until C.J. Miles got the Raptors’ 10th three-pointer of the night late in the third quarter.