The Raptors’ crunch-time woes cost them yet another game, losing to the Clippers 103-105

Coach Darko Rajakovic made a questionable decision down the stretch, or did he?

The Toronto Raptors suffered a heartbreaking 103-105 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in a game they had a chance to steal. Despite a solid effort from the players in the final period, several questionable coaching decisions and team management issues, especially in the final moments, proved costly, allowing the hosts to escape with a victory.

Immanuel Quickley scored 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. Ochai Agbaji had another strong game, tying Quickley’s 21 points while filling up the stat sheet with seven boards, three dimes, and two steals. Gradey Dick and RJ Barrett had a relatively quiet night, scoring 15 and 13 points respectively. The Raptors drop their third straight loss, tanking their record to 2-8 through ten games, and first team in the NBA to lose 8 games. They are also winless on the road (0-5).

Bruno Fernando was a revelation in this game, as he infused the team with the much-needed energy that allowed the Raptors to mount an 18-6 run in the fourth to tie the game. Bruno’s four points, two boards, three dimes, and a block in 8.5 minutes doesn’t seem a lot, but those were all impactful stats when the team needed them.

The Clippers’ foul-bait duo Norman Powell and his Robin James Harden led all scorers with 24 points apiece, combining for 22 free throws in this game, 1 more than the Raptors combined. Ivica Zubac thoroughly outplayed Jakob Poeltl, driving coach Darko Rajakovic to bench Poeltl for most of the fourth quarter to keep him fresh until coach Darko needed a hero to win the game. Zubac finished the night with 14 points, 12 boards, and three blocks. Kevin Porter Jr. poured in 15 points, six boards, and five dimes for the Clippers.

The earlier story of the night was about the perimeter shooting, where the Clippers threatened to pull away a couple of times when they got hot from outside and the Raptors were ice cold at the same time. However, the Raptors managed to keep the rebounding close, with the Clippers finishing +3 in total rebounds and even getting more offensive rebounds than the Clippers.

The game was relatively close for most of the first three quarters — It was a back-and-forth affair in the first period until the Raptors briefly let go of the rope, allowing the Clippers to go on a 10-2 run to close the last couple minutes of the first quarter. The Clippers found their perimeter stroke midway through the second frame, building a 14-point lead, but the Raptors survived Davion Mitchell’s green light and entered the locker room trailing the Clippers, 47-52.

The third period was like a tug-of-war game, with the Clippers threatening to pull away several times, only for the Raptors to cut it to a two-possession game a few times. Still, Jakob Poeltl could not provide the same impact as he’s accustomed to. The final frame started like an extension of the third period, with the Raptors looking like they’ll coast to an 8-12 point deficit. It wasn’t until a bold move by coach Darko, where he inserted Bruno Fernando around 8 minutes left in the game. Fernando provided the defense and energy, while the big three Quickley, Agbaji and Chris Boucher got the Raptors to inch back to tie the game at 93.

Norman Powell’s trifecta gave the Clippers a 100-95 lead with two minutes left. Still, Quickley knotted the game at 102 with 35 seconds remaining. Powell split his freebie, but Quickley missed his layup on the other end. Harden was sent to the line with 28 seconds remaining, splitting his freebies and giving the Clippers a two-point lead. This time, it was RJ Barrett’s turn to miss his layup, and they sent Powell to the line with 8.1 seconds remaining. Powell split his freebies again, giving the Clippers a 105-102 lead.

With a three-point deficit and eight seconds to operate, Coach Darko called for time and drew up for Poeltl to get the inbounds pass, not once, but twice, as the Clippers strategically wanted to “foul up three,” challenging the opposing teams to make their freebies. Well, Coach Darko handed Ty Lue Poeltl’s head on a silver platter, where Poeltl made his first shot and strategically missed the second. The ball bounced hard enough for Poeltl to grab the board, which he tried to put back right away instead of kicking it out. To no surprise, Poeltl missed the shot, and that’s the game.