TORONTO — Guard Kyle Lowry scored 21 points and dished out six assists as the Toronto Raptors defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 112-94 Sunday to extend their winning streak to eight games.
The Raptors (29-15) are riding the second-longest winning streak in franchise history. They won nine in a row in 2002.
Toronto took a 16-point lead in the third quarter, and the Clippers trimmed it to four before the Raptors extended the margin to 22 points during the fourth quarter.
The Clippers (28-16) struggled at the free-throw line, going 18-for-30.
The Raptors had seven players score in double figures.
Center Jonas Valanciunas had 20 points and eight rebounds, and guard DeMar DeRozan added 18 points for the Raptors, ending his string of three consecutive games with 30 or more points.
Forward Terrence Ross contributed 18 points, guard Cory Joseph added 12, forward Patrick Patterson had 10, and reserve center Bismack Biyombo finished with 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Guard Chris Paul scored 23 points and distributed 11 assists for the Clippers. Guard J.J. Redick added 17 points, and center DeAndre Jordan scored 15 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.
The Clippers lost for only the third time in the past 15 games, but those defeats came in the past five games. They are 11-3 without injured forward Blake Griffin.
Los Angeles had an 8-0 run in the first quarter and opened a 13-point lead before ending the quarter with a 34-27 advantage.
The Raptors scored the first seven points of the second quarter to tie the game at 34. The Raptors ran off 10 more points in a row to lead 44-35. Lowry’s 3-pointer had Toronto ahead 54-40. Toronto was in front 62-49 at halftime and had 32 points off the bench.
The Raptors led by 16 points early in the third quarter.
The Clippers reduced their deficit to six points on a 3-pointer by forward Paul Pierce with 6:07 left in the third. Jordan followed with a cutting layup to cut the deficit to four. DeRozan’s 3-pointer closed the third quarter and gave Toronto an 83-71 lead.
Ross hit a 3-pointer with 8:37 left in the game to put the Raptors into an 18-point lead. A hook shot from Valanciunas bumped the lead to 20.
NOTES: F Jeff Ayres signed a 10-day contract with the Clippers on Saturday, and he scored two points in five minutes Sunday. He takes the roster spot opened when F Josh Smith was traded to the Houston Rockets on Friday. Ayres, 28, averaged 16.3 points and 9.5 rebounds in 23 games with the Idaho Stampede of the D-League. He has played 220 career NBA games with Portland, Indiana and San Antonio. … The Raptors defeated the Clippers 91-80 on Nov. 22 in Los Angeles in the first meeting between the teams this season. … The Clippers will play the fourth of five straight road games when they visit the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday. … The Raptors will play the fifth game of seven consecutive at home when they face the Washington Wizards on Tuesday.