James Harden scored eight of his 31 points in overtime and added 10 assists Friday night and the visiting Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Toronto Raptors 121-117.
Ivica Zubac had 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Clippers who overcame a 14-point deficit to win their fifth in a row. The Clippers finished the game on a 20-8 surge.
Jordan Miller added 19 points, Kris Dunn scored 15 points, Kobe Sanders contributed 13 points and Cam Christie scored 16.
Kawhi Leonard did not play for the Clippers because of a sprained right ankle.
Scottie Barnes scored 24 points for the Raptors, who have lost two of three. Brandon Ingram added 19 points, Jamal Shead had 15 points and 13 assists and Ochai Agbaji scored 15 points.
Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 13. Gradey Dick contributed 15 and Collin Murray-Boyles scored 11 points.
The Clippers scored the first 11 points of the fourth quarter to tie the game at 89. Toronto pulled ahead by eight on Murray-Boyles’ layup with 3:35 to play in the fourth quarter. Six consecutive points by Harden cut the lead to two with 1:53 to play. Harden’s block gave the Clippers another possession and he converted two free throws to tie the game at 109 with 1:24 left.
Harden missed the final shot of regulation to force overtime.
Harden converted four free throws to open overtime to give L.A. the lead. Barnes responded with a jumper before Miller came back with a 3-pointer with 3:06 left in overtime to give the Clippers a five-point lead.
Barnes cut the lead to one with a layup before Harden hit an 11-footer. Sanders made one of two free throws with seven seconds left to account for the final margin.
Toronto hustled to a 14-point advantage before settling for a 32-24 lead after one quarter.
The Raptors’ fast-break offense slowed a bit in the second quarter and Dunn’s 3-pointer cut the lead to five with 6:21 to play. Toronto led 61-52 at halftime.
The Clippers took their first lead at 64-63 when Sanders made two free throws with 9:15 remaining in the third quarter. Toronto rallied to lead by 10 points on Dick’s running layup with 1:22 to play in the third following A.J. Lawson’s steal. The Raptors led 89-78 after three quarters.
