• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Raptors try to snap five-game skid vs. Clippers

Dec 22, 2008 - 3:28 PM Toronto (10-17) at LA Clippers (8-19), 10:30pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- The month of December has not been kind to the Toronto Raptors. It began with the most lopsided loss in franchise history, continued with the firing of their head coach a day later - and things continued to go downhill from there.

Jay Triano took over as the interim head coach on December 3 and the club has won just twice since then. Toronto looks for No. 3 on Monday night as it continues its five-game road trip against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Part of the problem recently has been the uncharacteristic struggles of Chris Bosh. The All-Star forward had been enjoying a dominant season until about two weeks ago. He helped lead the Raptors to a rare two-game winning streak from December 10-12, but since then, they have dropped five straight - and that skid has corresponded directly with his slump.

Over the last five contests, Bosh has shot just 33 percent (28-of-84) after shooting 53 percent over the first six weeks of the campaign. He has been visibly frustrated - and considering this week's surprising loss to the lowly Oklahoma City Thunder, who can blame him? He hit just 6-of-18 in that one as the Raptors dropped a 91-83 decision - becoming just the Thunder's third victim of the entire season.

Bosh and company will try to snap their slide against the Clippers, who have shown legitimate signs of improvement over the last few weeks. They had won four of five until Saturday's unimpressive loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Zach Randolph, acquired last month in a high-profile deal with the New York Knicks, has been a reliable go-to guy, averaging 23.5 points and 10.1 boards since joining the Clippers. However, he was limited to just four points on 2-of-11 shooting in the defeat to the Bucks.