Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue highlighted his team’s offensive spacing and individual contributions following Wednesday’s 119-94 victory against the Toronto Raptors at Intuit Dome. “Just gives us more space, you know, more space on the floor,” Lue said of Darius Garland’s deep shooting.
Brook Lopez’s offensive growth was another focus. Lue observed, “His ability to shoot from deep is huge, but now we’re getting him to roll a little bit more. Just the number says when he rolls, the efficiency of Kawhi and Darius making plays is huge for us.” He emphasized Lopez’s role in pick-and-roll situations and the importance of floor spacing.
Isaiah Jackson’s performance drew praise as well. “His ability to get behind the defense, pick and rolls, finish around the rim… he’s really good at that,” Lue said. The coach also commented on Bennedict Mathurin’s improved jump shot after returning from injury: “Early on he was just hesitant to shoot those shots… tonight he was more direct, more efficient when taking shots, and he made some good passes as well.”
On Garland’s deep shooting range, Lue reflected, “I just knew his pace would open things up. Him also being attacking, getting to the paint, the floaters, making the right pass and making the right play.” He added that Garland’s long-range threat allows the Clippers’ offense to function with more space: “Open up the floor more… it gives the five-man more time to make a decision. When he’s shooting the ball deep and teams have to come out, it gives us more spacing.”
Lue also noted defensive discipline improvements, particularly in limiting free throws. “We want to be aggressive. We want to be physical… turning teams over, and that’s who we have to be,” he said. On Garland’s playing style, Lue added, “I’d rather be up 25 and just four minutes left in the game and then do some of that stuff that he does… he enjoys the game.”
The Clippers remain in the eighth seed in the Western Conference, edging the Portland Trail Blazers by half a game. Los Angeles will travel to face the Indiana Pacers on Friday, while Toronto looks to rebound against the New Orleans Pelicans.
