but will that make the problems plaguing the veteran squad | Forum

LOS ANGELES -- The streaking Clippers are playing with purpose. Air Jordan Retro 12 Wholesale . Even after handling a quality opponent, they hardly sounded satisfied.Chris Paul had 26 points and 12 assists, Blake Griffin also scored 26 and Los Angeles beat the Toronto Raptors 123-115 on Monday night in a matchup of early-season division leaders.We got stops early in the beginning of the second half and got in transition and got buckets, Griffin said. We havent been as good in the last three games in my opinion, but its still great to start out like this.DeAndre Jordan added 17 points and 15 rebounds for the Clippers, who improved the NBAs best record to 13-2 with their 10th victory in 11 games.J.J. Redick scored 20 points as Los Angeles snapped a four-game losing streak to Toronto. Jamal Crawford had 12 and Luc Mbah a Moute chipped in with 10.We still have to be better. There was a lot of turnovers, fouls, and we gave up easy buckets for Toronto down the stretch, Paul said.The Clippers led by 17 in the second half but the Raptors cut the margin to 119-115 on a 3-pointer by Kyle Lowry with less than a minute to play.Redick made four free throws down the stretch to seal it.We scrapped and fought and didnt lay down even after what happened to us last night, Toronto coach Dwane Casey said, referring to a close loss at Sacramento that ended with a disputed call.We got enough offense but until we improve on defense and get stops, we arent going anywhere. It seems like every game we play lately is an offensive slugfest.Lowry led Toronto with 27 points and DeMar DeRozan, averaging 31.4 per game, added 25. Jonas Valanciunas scored 15 for the Raptors.The Clippers outrebounded Toronto 42-32.Blake is doing everything for us. The fact that he can bring the ball up and make decisions gives us another dimension offensively, Clippers coach Doc Rivers said.It was the second time this season Toronto (8-6) dropped both ends of back-to-back games. The Raptors, who played for the fifth time in seven nights, have lost four of five.The teams traded 10-0 runs late in the second quarter. Redicks three free throws with less than a second remaining gave the Clippers a 54-45 lead at halftime.TIP-INSRaptors: Lowry, DeRozan and Jordan were teammates on the 2016 USA Olympic Mens Basketball team that won the gold medal in Rio.Clippers: Entering the game, Los Angeles led the NBA with a plus-13.7 points per game differential over its opponents and was second in the league in scoring defense, giving up 95.4 points per game. ... F Wesley Johnson returned after missing the previous five games with an injured left heel. He played 12 minutes and had three rebounds. ... Jordan shot 9 of 14 on free throws and has made 1,007 in his career.CAMEROON CONNECTIONMbah a Moute and Raptors F Pascal Siakam are two of the three active NBA players from Cameroon. The game marked the first time in league history two players from Cameroon faced each other.CONTROVERSIAL CALLAt the end of Sunday nights Toronto-Sacramento game, Terrence Ross 3-pointer at the buzzer off an inbounds play would have sent the game to overtime, but after a replay review the basket was disallowed and the Raptors lost 102-99. The play was ruled a clock malfunction because the inbounds pass was deflected, and officials said the clock should have started once the ball was touched.I thought it was unfair. I think the game is human error. I dont think you should be able to go over and look at the clock and do that, Rivers said. I thought it was awful. I really do. I know they, meaning the league, came back and said it was the right call, but I still disagree. If they reviewed every play, our games would take 16 hours.Casey wasnt seeking any sympathy.Sometimes bad things happen in life to you. Its how you bounce back after a game like that that counts. There are 29 other teams that dont feel sorry for us, he said.UNMATCHED PRODUCTIONPaul is the only NBA player since 1983-84 with 120 assists, 42 steals and only 28 turnovers in the first 14 games of a season.UP NEXTRaptors: Toronto continues a five-game road trip, its second-longest of the season, on Wednesday at Houston. The Raptors are winless in their last nine visits to Houston.Clippers: Los Angeles embarks on a six-game road trip with its first stop in Dallas on Wednesday. The Clippers are 6-0 away from home, the longest road winning streak to start a season in franchise history. Cheap Jordan 12 Real . -- Linebacker Myles Jack ran for four touchdowns, defensive end Cassius Marsh caught a scoring pass, and No. Retro Jordans 12 Cheap .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. http://www.cheapairjordan12.com/ . Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Senators this season and scored five goals in each victory. The Flyers recorded a 5-0 win in Ottawa on Nov. 12 and then earned a 5-2 home decision on Nov. 19. The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city.The Dan Hawkins experiment is over. But Montreal Alouettes GM Jim Popp acknowledged his mistake and made a change quick enough to still salvage the teams season. With Popp now at the helm, Montreal will go back to looking like the team we remember, starting Thursday against the Toronto Argonauts. And sitting only one game out of first in the division, theyll challenge for the East crown like they always do. Not so fast. Hawkins was an undeniably bad fit for the team and league but Montreals problems run deeper than the head coach. The Alouettes have been slowly declining the past two years, even under their highly-respected former head coach Marc Trestman. Since their second consecutive Grey Cup win to cap the 2010 season, the Als have fought to slightly better than average records of 10-8 and 11-7 and havent won a single playoff game. The once vaunted roster has grown a little older and a step slower in recent years and Popp hasnt hit on the same high percentage of moves fans in Montreal are accustomed to. Even Anthony Calvillo, the soon-to-be 41-year-old future Hall of Famer, has seen his play slip from outstanding to just really good. While in the two years prior to this season, Calvillo maintained his 5,000 yards per season average established during the three consecutive years Montreal advanced to the Grey Cup, his touchdown-to-interception rate fell from roughly 4:1 to 3:1 and his completion percentage dropped from the high 60s to the low 60s. Jordan 12 For Sale Cheap. Still tremendous numbers for the 20-year veteran, but not quite up to the sterling standard he set for himself in years past. And Popp, the orchestrator of those dynastic Alouettes teams of a few years ago, isnt exactly the miracle worker on the sidelines as hes gained the reputation for being in the front office. In his two previous stints as interim coach, Popp has a combined record of 10-13 in the regular season and 1-3 in the playoffs. Theres no question Montreal will be better moving forward under Popp. The 16-year GM should return the team to some sense of normalcy as they get back to the Alouette way, but will that make the problems plaguing the veteran squad just disappear? The Rouge asks: How much better will the Alouettes be with Popp as interim head coach? Youve heard what weve had to say, now its your turn. As always, its Your! Call. ' ' '