Chris Bosh had 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Toronto Raptors, who overcame an early 22-point deficit and made four 3-point shots during a game-ending 16-0 run that carried them to a 104-89 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.
The Raptors began a four-game road trip with their fourth straight victory over the Clippers at Staples Center. Andrea Bargnani had 19 points and Jose Calderon added 18 for the Raptors.
Chris Kaman, who fought through a virus to get 20 points and 11 rebounds in Wednesday's home loss at New Orleans, made his first five shots against the Raptors and finished with 25 points and seven rebounds in 36 minutes. But his layup with 8:18 remaining was the last field goal for the Clippers, who went scoreless over the final 6:58 and shot 5 for 17 in the fourth quarter.
The teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 74, and the lead changed hands five times before Bargnani hit a 3-pointer to put Toronto ahead for good at 91-89 with 4:28 to play. Antoine Wright added two free throws, and the Raptors got back-to-back 3s from Marco Belinelli and Bargnani before Calderon capped the rally with a layup and another 3-pointer.
The Clippers made 15 of 20 shots in the first quarter to jump out to a 34-17 lead against a club that had held them under 80 points in three of the previous four meetings - including both matchups last season. Steve Novak's 3-pointer increased the margin to 39-17, Los Angeles' biggest of the game.
But Kaman sat out the final 4:24 of the first half after picking up his third foul, and the Raptors were able to slice the deficit to 54-45 by intermission with a 16-5 run. They took their first lead, 63-62, on an 18-footer by Calderon with 6:39 left in the third quarter after a turnover by Marcus Camby.
The Raptors' 19-year-old swingman DeMar DeRozan, the ninth overall pick in the draft following his freshman year at USC, returned to Staples Center for the first time since being named MVP of the Pac-10 tournament and had two points in 11 minutes. He picked up his second foul with 7:35 left in the first quarter and spent the rest of the half on the bench.
NOTES: Toronto came in averaging the second-fewest turnovers in the league (12.5) and forcing the fewest per game (11.8). The Raptors ended up with 10 turnovers, and converted 17 Clippers turnovers into 24 points. ... The Raptors are 30-44 since Jay Triano replaced Sam Mitchell as head coach on Dec. 3. ... The Clippers have lost six of seven to Toronto.
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