The Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers squared off Sunday night in preseason play in Vancouver, BC where the Raptors won their opening preseason game in dominating fashion, beating the Clippers, 94-73.

The new sleek and slim Kyle Lowry led his new-look squad in scoring with an efficient 26 points in 21 minutes of play on 7 of 10 shooting from the field. Many eyes were on Lowry, who did not play good basketball towards the end of the 2014-2015 season and into the playoffs against the Washington Wizards where the Raptors were embarrassingly swept.

However, tonight Lowry looked like he was back to mid-season form from a year ago when he played some of the best basketball of his career to earn a starting spot in the 2015 NBA All-Star game in New York. 

The All-Star point guard was also 11 of 12 from the free-throw line and provided fans with an acrobatic layup attempt that was truly something special to see.

Newly extended Lithuanian big man Jonas Valancinas chipped in a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Veteran player and new Raptor Louis Scola scored 13 points while shooting guard and former All-Star DeMar DeRozan scored 11 points. Off-season additions DeMarre Carroll, Cory Joseph, and Bismack Biyombo all had solid debuts for Toronto.

The Clippers, coming off of a win in their preseason debut against the Denver Nuggets, just couldn't get the job done tonight. The scoring leader for Los Angeles was J.J. Reddick who scored 15 points. Meanwhile, Blake Griffin contributed 14.

As a team, the Raptors had a field goal percentage of 42.5 percent while the Clippers had a field goal percentage of 38.0 percent. Since it was a preseason game, we were provided with some sloppy play during various moments of the game. 

However, we also got a glimpse of Toronto's revamped defense which was a big priority coming into this season, especially with a defensive-minded coach like Dwane Casey manning the team.

As mentioned earlier, the game was played in Vancouver, BC, and this was the second time the NBA and the Toronto Raptors have played a preseason game there. The arena was sold out, with 19,000 fans in attendance, including various individuals wearing vintage Vancouver Grizzlies apparel. The last time the NBA had a team in Vancouver was in 2001 before they left south and relocated to Memphis, Tennessee. Many fans hope that one day the NBA will once again return to Vancouver

Also noted was that former number one overall pick Anthony Bennett (shoulder) and small forward James Johnson (Achilles tendon) did not suit up tonight for Toronto.

The next game for the Raptors will be on the road Monday night against the defending NBA champions Golden State Warriors in San Jose, California. Meanwhile, the Clippers next game will not be played until Sunday against the Charlotte Hornets.