LOS ANGELES — The Raptors were down, but were far from out for most of the night.
When the opposition is the downtrodden L.A. Clippers, the improbable becomes probable, the unlikely seems more likely.
And such was the case Friday night, when the Raptors rallied from a 22-point hole to escape L.A. with a 104-89 win, giving the 5-4 Raptors their first back-to-back wins of the young season.
For the record, Toronto's comeback tied for the largest in franchise history.
"I don't know why we fall behind," Raptors head coach Jay Triano said. "But I like our fight. It shows we can do it and it shows we got character."
The Clippers began the game by making every shot from virtually every conceivable spot on the floor.
They ended the night by missing every shot from virtually every conceivable spot on the floor.
In the game’s final 6:58, the Clippers went scoreless, missing all 11 of their attempts.
They started by making 15 of 20 shots.
Toronto was the more aggressive team as the game unfolded at both ends of the floor.
Players such as Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon stepped up in the second half after going invisible in the first.
The bench got a huge boost from Marco Belinelli and Amir Johnson.
"The starters were so-so," Belinelli said. "The guys on the bench knew they had to be aggressive."
Belinelli had 15 points, while Johnson recorded seven rebounds.
Chris Bosh continued to lead the Raptors by pouring in 21 points, while Bargnani (19 points) and Calderon (18 points), continually hit clutch shots in the fourth quarter, a 12-minute stretch that saw the Raptors outscore the 3-7 Clippers 30-15.
Chris Kaman led all scorers with 25 points in a losing cause.
DeMar DeRozan entered the evening flush with excitement and anticipation, genuinely buoyed of his return to Staples Center, site of last season's triumph when he led USC to the Pac-10 tournament title.
DeRozan left USC after his freshman season, in part because his stock was high in the wake of the Trojans' run.
On Friday night, DeRozan's stock as a pro may have reached its lowest point.
He was quickly pulled after 4:25, a period of time that saw DeRozan commit two fouls, one turnover, hoist an air ball and get abused in the paint defensively by Al Thornton.
It wasn't pretty, but then again neither was the play of the Raptors.
One had to feel for the Raptors rookie, who was greeted by a smattering of warm applause during the pre-game introductions and whose family was in attendance.
DeRozan did produce a basket on a driving layup in transition.
He didn't see the floor again until the beginning of the third quarter. On his first attempt from the field, he heaved an air ball.
But by then, the Raptors were much more competitive.
"He was pumped up for this game," Triano said of his rookie. "It was one of those learning experiences. He'll never be back here again for the first time. He'll be back here again and he'll feel more comfortable."
The Clippers completely abandoned their mindset after the opening quarter, going from a team that took advantage of Toronto's woeful defence in the paint to a team that hoisted ill-advised jumpers early in the shot clock.
The Clippers made 15 of 20 first-quarter shots and outscored their northern visitors 20-10 in the paint to jump out to 34-17 advantage after the opening 12 minutes.
The Clippers led by as many as 22 points in the second quarter.
The NBA's 82-game regular season is a grind. For the Raptors, Friday’s late tip was the first of four in a western swing that takes Toronto to Phoenix on Sunday, Denver on Tuesday and Salt Lake City the following night.
Fatigue becomes a factor, but against the Clippers the Raptors were a step, at times even two steps slow and offered very little resistance defensively.
What kept the Raptors in the game was Bosh's will, Johnson's ability to track down misses and Belinelli stepping up to bury shots.
The first half ended with the Raptors trailing 54-45.
Calderon, who was a complete non-factor in the first half, finally showed up.
Calderon suddenly became aggressive and the Raptors began to make shots.
Conversely, the Clippers continued their pattern of being jump-shot happy.
A Calderon jumper gave the Raptors their first lead, 63-62 midway through the quarter.
Neither team played particularly well, but it create a rather exciting game, which went into the fourth quarter tied, 74-74.
The period began with Bosh on the bench, not a surprising development given the 31 minutes Bosh played up to that point.
The fourth quarter was all Toronto.
