Harden’s triple-double leads Clippers past Raptors

James Harden had a triple-double to lead the Los Angeles Clippers past the undermanned Toronto Raptors 127-107 on Friday.

TORONTO – James Harden had a triple-double to lead the Los Angeles Clippers past the undermanned Toronto Raptors 127-107 on Friday.

Harden had 22 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds for the 75th triple-double of his career, eighth highest in NBA history.

Former Raptor Kawhi Leonard scored 16 points and added seven rebounds as Los Angeles (29-14) won its fourth straight.

Russell Westbrook scored 20 points off the bench and Mason Plumlee had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Scottie Barnes had 23 points, five rebounds and four assists as Toronto (16-29) lost its fourth straight game.

RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., scored 22 points and pulled down six rebounds as the Raptors had five players reach double digits in scoring. It was Barrett’s eighth 20-point performance in just 13 games with Toronto.

The Raptors’ starting lineup was without centre Jakob Poeltl and guard Immanuel Quickley. Poeltl was out a sprained left ankle and Quickley was off with a right-thigh contusion.

Leonard got a loud ovation from the sold-out crowd of 19,800 at Scotiabank Arena during pre-game introductions, with Raptors fans remembering his critical role in helping Toronto win its only NBA title in 2019. Norman Powell, who spent the first 5 1/2 seasons of his NBA career in Toronto and was also part of the 2019 championship team, got his own warm welcome when he came off the bench nearly seven minutes into the game.