The Toronto Raptors will suit up against the Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 5, Wednesday for their third game in the 2016-2017 NBA Preseason Games. The match is scheduled at the Staples Center and will be the Clippers' preseason home-opener.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 10:30 p.m. ET. It can be viewed live online thru the NBA League Pass.
Preview
After the Raptors defeated the new-look Golden State Warriors last Saturday, 97-93, the team dropped a close 108-106 decision to the Denver Nuggets also at their home court of Air Canada Centre Monday.
Starters Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, and Jonas Valanciunas continued to play extended preseason minutes and have continued to play well with 7, 15, and 20 points respectively despite the loss. Patrick Patterson and Bruno Caboclo replaced Jared Sullinger and DeMarre Carroll as the starters at the number four and three spots from the previous game.
The Raptors are still considered as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference entering the new season with a deep bench that also includes Terrence Ross and Cory Joseph. Ross is playing exceptionally well in the preseason with productions of 11 and 23 points off the bench in two games.
Hometown hero Joseph is steady as Lowry's backup guard, contributing nine points and eight points in the first two games with six assists.
Meanwhile, the Clippers are set to open their preseason campaign against the Warriors on Tuesday night at the Oracle Arena.
The Big Three of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan will be available for the game and is more likely to play limited minutes for head coach Doc Rivers. JJ Redick is a lock at the shooting guard spot while Luc Mbah a Moute is projected to start at the small forward position.
However, the team is also expected to test its strength against Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and the rest of the Warriors in preparation for the regular season.
Rivers recently commented that he does not see a wide gap between his squad and the Warriors, which drew a lot of mixed reactions from around the league. The said game could somehow tell if what Rivers said is true.
Prediction
This match against the Raptors is not as popular as their meeting with the Warriors on Tuesday, but the Clippers are still expected to test their bench play while further conditioning their Big Three. LA is the slight favorite to win, although the Raptors are capable of winning anytime if they want to.