LOS ANGELES -- Just because Blake Griffin will miss at least another month due to a sprained left knee does not mean he is incapable of providing a little inspiration.

After Griffin went through workouts and took shots on the Staples Center court before the Monday game, the Los Angeles Clippers went out and held one of the NBA's better offenses in check during a 96-91 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

"I thought our defense won the game today," said Clippers guard Austin Rivers, who finished with 15 points. "We had a couple of slip-ups, but we executed down the stretch. That shows growth right there."

Jonas Valanciunas scored 23 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as the Raptors saw their six-game winning streak end. The defeat came a day after Toronto won at Sacramento.

The Raptors were trying to put together their longest winning streak since the 2015-16 team won 11 consecutive. Toronto has produced four six-game win streaks since that 11-game run.

"You can't use back-to-back (games), getting stagnant, whatever (as excuses)," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "We were just playing in mud. Psychologically, we were a step behind. After we lost the lead, we just couldn't get our traction back."

Toronto (17-8) led by as many as seven points in the fourth quarter, but Rivers gave the Clippers the lead for good on a layup with 3:22 remaining.

Rivers called it the biggest victory of the season considering the Clippers have been starved for an identity without Griffin, and they were playing the team with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. The next-best victory? Rivers went with the Saturday win against the Washington Wizards.

Now the Clippers (10-15) head to Orlando on Wednesday for the start of a four-game road trip.

"We talked about it at halftime that (playing hard) had got to be one of our talents right now," Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers said. "Teams have so much talent, but even with all our guys out, you can't account for a team that's going to play hard, and I thought that's what we did all game."

The high-scoring Raptors were held under 100 points for the first time in 13 games and shot just 40 percent from the field, including 24.1 percent from 3-point range. The Clippers held a 57-42 rebounding advantage.

Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams each scored 17 points for the Clippers, with both efforts coming off the bench. The Clippers also struggled on offense, shooting just 37.4 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from 3-point range.

In his first game back after missing 22 contests with a strained left foot, Clippers guard Milos Teodosic made a key 3-pointer with 40.5 seconds remaining, giving Los Angeles a late 91-87 lead. Teodosic was just 2 of 9 from 3-point range for the game but finished the night with 12 points.

DeMar DeRozan, a Southern California product, scored 17 points and handed out eight assists for the Raptors. Serge Ibaka also had 17 points for Toronto, while Kyle Lowry added 14.

The Clippers received yet another health scare midway through the fourth quarter when Harrell was writhing in pain with what appeared to be a serious right knee injury. However, Harrell shook it off and remained in the game after a timeout.

Los Angeles center DeAndre Jordan finished with 14 points and 17 rebounds, the final one a controlled tap on a missed free throw by teammate Sam Dekker with just over three seconds remaining that helped preserve the victory. The Clippers had 14 offensive rebounds to the Raptors' three.

"Me personally, I didn't make many threes and we missed a lot of shots with turnovers," said Lowry, who went 0-for-8 from 3-point range. "We gave up 14 offensive rebounds, and as guards, we have to be there a little bit better. It happens, unfortunately. We should have won that game, and we have to do things to make sure we win that game."

NOTES: Raptors C Jonas Valanciunas scored 17 points in the first half Monday, more than he had scored in any game since Nov. 15. ... Raptors F Serge Ibaka was coming off back-to-back 20-point games for the first time this season. ... After playing 36 minutes Saturday, in his second game back from a strained glute, Clippers F Danilo Gallinari was ruled out of the Monday game with the same issue, although coach Doc Rivers called it an entirely new glute injury. ... The Clippers announced before the game that G C.J. Williams and F Jamil Wilson were transferred to the active roster from the club's G League team, the Agua Caliente Clippers.