Chris Paul may return from hamstring injury Sunday versus Raptors

Chris Paul’s strained left hamstring has sidelined him for four games, but the guard could make his return Sunday when the Clippers play host to the Toronto Raptors at Staples Center.

Coach Vinny Del Negro said after practice Saturday that Paul completed a battery of basketball-related activities, including shooting, conditioning, stretching and lifting weights, and that he looked good.

Paul had completed many of the same drills Friday, and he performed well enough then that the Clippers upped his workload on Saturday and he performed even better, making it likely that he’ll play Sunday.

Still, the decision will be made during Sunday morning’s workout, Del Negro said.

“If he does [play], it will be restricted minutes,” he added.

The Clippers have gone 2-2 during Paul’s absence. The All-Star guard is averaging 18 points, 8.4 assists and 2.8 steals this season.

And just as Paul might make his return against Toronto, so too might Caron Butler, who missed his first game Friday against Minnesota with a hyperextended right knee.

Del Negro said Butler “was feeling better” and that he’d also be reevaluated Sunday morning.

Both Paul and Butler, new additions to the Clippers this season, have had MRI examsand both results came back negative.

Butler, who injured his knee Tuesday against the Utah Jazz but was able to play the next game against Dallas, is averaging 14.8 points.

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A day after losing on a buzzer-beating three-point shot to Minnesota, the Clippers’ practice lasted a much-longer-than-usual three hours

A good chunk of that was spent watching film of their last-second 101-98 loss to the Timberwolves.

“We just had way too many breakdowns that we haven’t been having,” Del Negro said.

Granted, it was the Clippers’ fifth game in seven days, but Del Negro was displeased with some mental breakdowns, so during the film session, he said, there was a “lot of emphasis on executing the game plan the right way and coverages, offensively and defensively.”

Etc.

Toronto is on its longest continuous trip of the season — five games — but the road hasn’t been kind to the Raptors, who’ve lost 29 of their last 32 road games. …Los Angeles natives Amir Johnson (attended Westchester High) and DeMar DeRozan (attended Compton Dominguez and later USC) each spent a lot of the offseason in their hometown, playing in charity games or the Drew League, but this will be their team’s only trip to Los Angeles. Johnson is averaging 7.8 points and 7.8 rebounds; DeRozan is averaging 14.8 points.

baxter.holmes@latimes.com

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