Max Strus is back, but the Clippers' fourth-quarter problem isn't going anywhere

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Max Strus finally got his first regular-season minutes in a Clippers uniform on Monday night, and for three quarters at Intuit Dome it looked like his return might be the thing that snapped this losing streak.

Then the fourth quarter happened again, as the Toronto Raptors outscored the Clippers 47-27 in the final period to erase a 13-point deficit and walk out with a 125-118 win, handing Los Angeles its sixth straight loss after a season-opening win over Sacramento.

How the Lead Slipped Away

The Clippers controlled most of the night, holding Toronto to 22 points in the first quarter, going into halftime up 63-52 and building their lead to as many as 16 before taking a 91-78 cushion into the fourth.

Toronto came out of the break by slowing everything down and attacking the rim, and the Clippers fouled their way right back into trouble, with the Raptors going 31-of-48 from the free-throw line on a night when Los Angeles was whistled for 34 fouls and had both Brook Lopez and Kris Dunn foul out.

The Clippers still had a 109-103 lead late, but Toronto answered with another run, and Scottie Barnes hit a turnaround jumper with 2:08 left that put the Raptors in front for good.

Barnes finished with 22 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists, with 15 of those points coming in the fourth quarter, while Immanuel Quickley scored 27 and RJ Barrett added 26.

“We fouled too much,” Strus said after the game. “They slowed the game down. They got free throws. They stopped the clock a lot and that gave up our lead.”

Strus had 11 points in 23 minutes in his first game since suffering a partial plantar fascia tear in his right foot during an Oct. 4 preseason game against Golden State in Hawaii.

Ty Lue, who coached through an illness that kept him out of his pregame press conference, pointed to Toronto’s size after the game, especially once Lopez fouled out.

“I thought the size really bothered us around the rim,” Lue said.

Nico Alba – The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Clippers guard Kris Dunn (8) celebrates his tough and-one with his teammates during an NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors, Monday November 2nd, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.

Sanders and Jackson Give Them a Chance

Kobe Sanders was the best player on the floor for the Clippers, scoring a career-high 26 points and hitting five of his 11 attempts from three, while Isaiah Jackson came off the bench for the first time this season and responded with 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting and eight rebounds.

Gradey Dick, making his first start against the team that drafted him, finished with 12 points, and Lopez and Dunn each added 12 before fouling out.

Darius Garland scored 16 points with eight assists, but he also turned it over seven times on a night when Toronto put Barnes on him and made him work the length of the floor.

“We’re asking DG to do a lot for us offensively,” Lue said.

What Has to Change

This is the part that should worry everybody in that building, because the Clippers aren’t getting blown out every night, and in a lot of these games they are building real leads before giving them back in one bad stretch.

They had a strong start against Golden State on Sunday before a second quarter that flipped the game, and now they’ve let Toronto take one from them in a single quarter on their own floor, which tells me the issue is closing out games more than starting them.

I understand why it keeps happening, with Rui Hachimura out with a quad injury, Derrick Jones Jr. out with a knee issue, and Monday being the second night of a back-to-back for a team that leans on Garland to do almost everything with the ball, so by the fourth quarter he is running on fumes and there’s nobody else who can reliably get the offense into something clean.

Lue said after the game that the medical staff will take a look at Garland, and I’d be surprised if a night off isn’t part of the conversation at some point soon, because he can’t carry this load every single game and still have enough left to close.

Strus coming back should help with that, since he gives them another shooter and someone who can handle a little bit, and he didn’t sound worried after the game.

“I don’t think there’s a reason to hit the panic button,” Strus said. “It’s growing pains. We’ll be all right.”

He might be right, but the Clippers are now 1-6, and getting healthier won’t help much unless they figure out how to finish the games they are already in.

The Clippers stay home to host the Miami Heat on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Intuit Dome.