FILE — Paul George #13 of the LA Clippers takes a free-throw shot against the Phoenix Suns during the NBA game at Phoenix Suns Arena on April 28, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. Christian Petersen/Getty Images/AFP
Paul George scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers rallied late to defeat the visiting Toronto Raptors 105-100 on Tuesday night.
Marcus Morris Sr. also had 22 points as the Clippers (44-22) ended a three-game losing streak. Los Angeles overcame a six-point deficit in the last six minutes.
Fred VanVleet had 27 points and 13 assists for the Raptors (37-29), who ended a Western trip at 1-3.
Reggie Jackson added 18 points for the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard contributed 13. Patrick Beverley returned to the Los Angeles lineup for the first time since April 9 and scored eight points in 15 minutes. He had been sidelined due to a fractured hand.
Toronto’s Pascal Siakam scored 11 of his 24 points in the first quarter. Khem Birch scored 13 points for the Raptors, and rookie Jalen Harris had a career-best 11 points.
The game was tied at 82 entering the fourth quarter, and the Clippers took a four-point lead on a Jackson layup. The Raptors answered with 10 consecutive points, capped by VanVleet’s 3-pointer with 6:10 to play for a 94-88 advantage.
The Clippers cut the deficit to one on a 3-pointer by Morris with 4:39 remaining. Morris gave the Clippers a one-point lead with a jumper, but Siakam restored Toronto’s one-point lead by sinking a jumper with 3:41 left.
The Clippers tied the game and then led by three when George made a block and then hit a 3-pointer with 2:06 to go. One minute later, Jackson canned a 3-pointer to bump the lead to five.
The Raptors were on top 30-26 after one quarter and 54-48 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Leonard’s trey tied the game at 71 with 3:30 left. Harris hit a 3-pointer to level the score after three quarters.
The Clippers grabbed sole possession of third place in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of the idle Denver Nuggets. The Raptors fell 3 1/2 games behind the Washington Wizards in the chase for the final spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.
Kyle Lowry (back) and OG Anunoby (calf) did not play for Toronto.