Raptors rout Clippers

▶ Spurs’ Popovich hits No.4 on wins list

The Toronto Raptors shrugged off the absence of Kawhi Leonard to stretch their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference on Tuesday, breezing past the Los Angeles Clippers with a 123-99 victory.

Leonard was ruled out just hours before tipoff after complaining of a sore hip. Toronto, however, laid on a devastating scoring display to overwhelm the Clippers and serve notice that they remain a formidable threat even without the in-form Leonard.

Serge Ibaka and Kyle

Lowry led the way for the Raptors with 25 and 21 points respectively while four other players made double figures.

The Clippers’ offense, however, struggled to make any inroads against the Toronto defense, with starters Tobias Harris and Danilo Gallinari producing just 21 points between them.

Tyrone Wallace (15 points) and Boban Marjanovic (18) produced a burst of scoring off the bench, but the Clippers never threatened a Toronto team that surged into a 36-23 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Raptors improved to 22-7 with the win to go three games clear of Milwaukee at the top of the standings. The Clippers’ loss gives them an identical record to city rivals the Los Angeles Lakers, with both teams on 17-10.

Earlier Tuesday, James Harden scored 29 points as the Houston Rockets halted their three-game losing streak with a 111-103 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Reigning NBA MVP Harden also chipped in four assists on a night when seven Rockets players finished in double digits. Rockets point guard Chris Paul produced a triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists as Houston improved to 12-14.

Houston remain near the foot of the Western Conference, one place off the bottom ahead of the Phoenix Suns, who are 4-24.

The Trail Blazers slipped to 15-12 with the defeat, leaving them in eighth place in the Western Conference table.

In San Antonio, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich bagged his 1,211th career win, putting him fourth on the list of career victories, after a 111-86 blowout over the hapless Suns.

The victory took Popovich one game clear of Pat Riley, the five-time NBA champion, who has 1,210 career wins.

Don Nelson leads the list of coaches with the most victories with 1,335 wins ahead of Lenny Wilkens and Jerry Sloan.