Norman Powell has embraced his flip because the Los Angeles Clippers’ go-to scorer and will get an opportunity to point out his productive type towards his former crew when the Toronto Raptors pay a go to Saturday to Inglewood, Calif.
With out Kawhi Leonard, who has not performed this season due to a knee damage, and Paul George, who departed in free company to the Philadelphia 76ers, Powell has averaged a career-best 25.7 factors per recreation this season.
Powell scored a team-high 31 factors in a 107-98 victory on the highway towards the Sacramento Kings on Friday. James Harden posted 22 factors and Ivica Zubac added 13 factors with 15 rebounds.
It was the third time Powell reached 30 factors in a recreation this season because the Clippers prolonged their profitable streak to a season-best three video games.
Powell was averaging 19.6 factors over the primary 42 video games of the 2020-21 season with the Raptors when he was traded to the Portland Path Blazers.
“I am making an attempt to be the perfect basketball participant that I could be and that comes with the work,” Powell mentioned. “The chance is right here and there is extra on my plate, particularly early on with Kawhi being out.”
“I am simply targeted on the subsequent play and ensuring the play that I am making is gonna profit the crew.”
After their one-game highway journey to Sacramento, the Clippers return to their new area, the place they’ve received two consecutive video games after dropping the primary 4 within the $2 billion constructing. Los Angeles defeated the San Antonio Spurs and 76ers at house earlier this week.
The Raptors arrive within the Los Angeles space after dropping the primary two video games of their five-game highway journey. After dealing with the Clippers on Saturday, they may tackle the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
Toronto fell 122-107 at Sacramento on Wednesday regardless of RJ Barrett scoring 23 factors and Davion Mitchell contributing 20. Chris Boucher added 17 factors off the bench, whereas Immanuel Quickley (pelvic contusion), Scottie Barnes (orbital fracture), Garrett Temple (again) and Kelly Olynyk (again) remained out.
The Raptors led 93-89 by means of three quarters by capturing 54.4 % from the ground and holding the Kings to 42.9 %. However they had been overwhelmed 33-14 within the fourth quarter once they shot 30 %, whereas Sacramento shot 60 %.
“Though we’re not getting the wins we might want proper now, we’re paying very effectively,” Barrett mentioned. “We’re going into the fourth quarter in Sacramento, a hostile atmosphere, with the lead so we’re doing one thing proper in these video games. … We’re doing the suitable issues and we simply need to discover ways to maintain that over the course of 48 (minutes).”
In his first full season along with his hometown Raptors, after a commerce from the New York Knicks final December, Barrett has taken cost with averages of 25.7 factors, 7 assists and 5.3 rebounds.
Second-year participant Gradey Dick averages 20 factors per recreation, whereas Jakob Poeltl is chipping in 15.0 factors with a team-best 11.4 rebounds. Barnes averaged 19.3 factors over the primary 4 video games earlier than his damage.
Rookie reserves Jonathan Mogbo (hip) and Ja’Kobe Walter (shoulder) each had been injured towards the Kings. Whereas Mogbo was listed as possible on the sport damage report, Walter aggravated a earlier shoulder damage at shall be out a minimum of every week.
–Area Stage Media
