Norman Powell has embraced his flip because the Los Angeles Clippers’ go-to scorer and will get an opportunity to indicate his productive type in opposition to his former staff 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 harm, and Paul George, who departed in free company to the Philadelphia 76ers, Powell has averaged a career-best 25.7 factors per sport this season.
Powell scored a team-high 31 factors in a 107-98 victory on the highway in opposition to 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 sport this season because the Clippers prolonged their successful 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 one of the best basketball participant that I might be and that comes with the work,” Powell stated. “The chance is right here and there is extra on my plate, particularly early on with Kawhi being out.”
“I am simply centered on the subsequent play and ensuring the play that I am making is gonna profit the staff.”
After their one-game highway journey to Sacramento, the Clippers return to their new enviornment, 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 dwelling 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 are going to 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 via 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 after 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 stated. “We’re going into the fourth quarter in Sacramento, a hostile surroundings, with the lead so we’re doing one thing proper in these video games. … We’re doing the precise issues and we simply must learn 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 sport, 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 harm.
Rookie reserves Jonathan Mogbo (hip) and Ja’Kobe Walter (shoulder) each had been injured in opposition to the Kings. Whereas Mogbo was listed as possible on the sport harm report, Walter aggravated a earlier shoulder harm at shall be out not less than per week.
–Subject Stage Media