Siakam shines as Raptors hold off late Clippers rally to win 5th in a row
Toronto forward has scored 20-plus points in career-high 8 straight games
Pascal Siakam had 31 points and the streaking Toronto Raptors held off a fourth-quarter comeback by the Los Angeles Clippers for a 103-100 victory Wednesday night.
The Raptors have won five straight to move into a tie for sixth place with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference.
Siakam, who also had 12 rebounds, has scored at least 20 points in a career-high eight straight games.
Reggie Jackson led the Clippers with 23 points, and Marcus Morris Sr. added 22. Los Angeles has dropped three of its last four.
Toronto led 93-83 midway through the fourth quarter before the Clippers came back. Jackson's layup got Los Angeles within 99-97 with 1:28 remaining, but it couldn't get the tying basket.
WATCH | Raptors hold off Clippers to extend win streak:
The Clippers had a chance to send it to overtime, but Morris was short on a 3-point attempt with 1.7 seconds left.
The first half saw nine lead changes and four ties before the Raptors went on a 19-6 run over the final 6:35 to take a 54-44 lead at halftime. VanVleet keyed the spurt with nine points.
Toronto extended its lead to 65-48 with 9:42 remaining in the third quarter. It remained in double digits until the Clippers scored 11 straight points late in the third and early in the fourth to get within 78-76. Barnes would answer with a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to help Toronto regain momentum.
