(SportsNetwork.com) - The Toronto Raptors will try to snap a two-game losing streak Friday night when the Los Angeles Clippers pay a visit to Air Canada Centre.
The Raptors opened this current five-game homestand with back-to-back losses. They still have visits from the San Antonio Spurs and Washington Wizards on the horizon before the All-Star break.
Toronto fell by seven to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, then lost to the Brooklyn Nets, 109-93, on Wednesday.
Terrence Ross tallied 23 points off the bench to pace Toronto on Wednesday. Kyle Lowry had 13 points and 10 assists in the loss, the fourth in the Atlantic Division-leading Raptors' past six outings at home.
"We know where we want to be and where we can be, and when we lose games like this it's always difficult to swallow," Lowry said.
Patrick Patterson chipped in 11 and DeMar DeRozan also scored 13 points, but the loss hurt DeRozan in the wallet. He was fined $15,000 for a Flagrant 2 foul on Brooklyn's Bojan Bogdanovic.
DeRozan was ejected from the game with 1:02 remaining after running into the Nets forward and knocking him over with his shoulder. Bogdanovic had just caught an outlet pass near the basket and DeRozan was the only defender back.
The Clippers have also dropped two in a row and are 2-3 on an eight-game road odyssey. LA will make stops in Oklahoma City and Dallas before returning to California.
On Thursday, the Clippers were no match for the juggernaut known as the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving led Cleveland to its 12th straight victory, a 105-94 decision at Quicken Loans Arena.
The final margin was 11, but this game was out of hand in the second half. J.R. Smith's 3-pointer late in the first half staked the Cavs to a 65-42 spread heading into the break. Cleveland took a healthy 94-63 cushion into the fourth, where they cruised to the easy triumph.
"It's on all of us tonight," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "We weren't prepared from the beginning."
Blake Griffin posted 16 points and eight rebounds, while Chris Paul provided 10 points and nine assists for Los Angeles, which has dropped three of its last four games on the heels of a six-game winning streak.
Jamal Crawford managed 13 in the loss, starting in place of J.J. Redick, who missed the game with back spasms. Spencer Hawes scored 11 off the bench, followed by 10 from Austin Rivers.
The Clippers were whistled for five technical fouls on Thursday.
The Raptors beat the Clippers at the Staples Center on Dec. 27, but the Clippers have taken two of the last three meetings. Toronto is 4-1 in its last five versus LA north of the border.
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