POD: Toronto-4.0 (NBA) W

POD: Toronto-4.0 @ LA Clippers (3K units) W

Preview: The Toronto Raptors are a .500 team so far, but following their second-half performance Wednesday, coach Jay Triano feels they can be much better.

The Raptors open a four-game western swing Friday night, when they look for their fourth straight win visiting the Los Angeles Clippers.
Toronto (4-4) avoided a third straight loss Wednesday with a 99-89 victory over Chicago. After getting outrebounded by 10 in the first half, the Raptors held a 11-rebound edge in the final 24 minutes while outscoring the Bulls 46-29.

“If we play like that half the time, we’re going to be a .500 team. If we play like that all the time, we have a chance to be really good,” said Triano, whose team is among the league’s worst with 40.1 rebounds per game. “Effort is something that should be a constant in this game.”

Rookie guard DeMar DeRozan(notes) gave the Raptors a huge lift with season highs of nine points and nine rebounds - seven of those coming in the third quarter.

“He chased balls, rebounded and was aggressive,” Triano said. “I thought he had one of his best games as a pro.”

DeRozan, a native of Compton, Calif., returns to Los Angeles for the first time as a pro after averaging 13.9 points and 5.7 rebounds as a freshman at USC last season.

Forward Chris Bosh(notes), who leads the Raptors with 28.9 points and 11.5 rebounds, looks for another big game while visiting the Clippers after scoring 31 points and grabbing seven rebounds in a 97-75 win at Staples Center on Dec. 22.

Toronto has won three straight in Los Angeles in this matchup since a 103-100 loss on Nov. 23, 2005.

The Raptors will try extend that run as they face a Clippers team that’s dropped two straight following a three-game winning streak.

Los Angeles (3-6) shot a season-low 35.9 percent from the field and scored 10 fourth-quarter points in Wednesday’s 83-79 loss to visiting Oklahoma City.

“We just missed so many easy baskets, we really shot ourselves in the foot,” Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. “So many easy baskets, opportunities, good looks from the outside we just didn’t make.”

Eric Gordon(notes), the Clippers’ second-leading scorer at 18.9 points per game, missed his second straight contest with a sore left groin suffered in Saturday’s 113-110 win over Memphis. The second-year guard is expected to be out for a minimum of 10 days.

Including four games Gordon missed last season with a bruised left shoulder, Los Angeles is 0-6 without its starting guard.

Center Chris Kaman(notes), though, remains optimistic about this season’s squad, especially considering the Clippers’ 3-16 start in 2008-09.

“We got to move on,” Kaman said Wednesday after posting his fourth double-double of the season with 20 points and 11 rebounds. “At this point, we’re doing better than we were last year. We are going to keep on getting better.”

Kaman missed the Raptors’ last visit to Staples Center with a left foot injury. He had five points and five rebounds in a 100-76 loss at Toronto on March 22.

First-year Raptors forward Hedo Turkoglu(notes) left Wednesday’s game in the fourth quarter with a sore left hip, but he is expected to play Friday. Playing with Orlando, Turkoglu averaged 15.0 points, 6.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds in two games versus the Clippers last season.

Toronto has won five of six versus Los Angeles.