For the second time in a week, the Lakers had a bounceback performance on the second night of a back-to-back, beating the Raptors 110-93 on Sunday.
After a back-and-forth first half saw both teams hold nine-point leads, the Lakers used a big second-half run to blow the game open. Jarred Vandebrilt and Drew Timme had big nights off the bench while LeBron James, Deandre Ayton and Luka Dončić all had at least 20 points.
The Lakers opened up an early two-point lead, which quickly disappeared as the Raptors played much better offensively. Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles was cooking for Toronto with seven points. Gabe Vincent drained a 3-pointer, which was a welcome sight.
Toronto was shooting 57% from the field as Los Angeles struggled to defend them.
Sandro Mamukelashvilli came in and scored 12 points in five minutes, helping keep the Raptors ahead. Luka Dončić started cooking with eight points to keep the Lakers within striking distance. LA allowed Toronto to score 18 points in the paint.
At the end of the first, the purple and gold were down by seven.
Los Angeles immediately tied the game to start the second period. They went on an 11-0 scoring run that began with a jumper by Vincent at the end of the first. LeBron James and Deandre Ayton were now in double figures with 11 and 12, respectively.
Drew Timme continued his fantastic play off the bench with a 3-pointer. Mamukelashvilli converted on a layup to stop some of the bleeding for the Raptors.
Toronto scored a quick nine points to tie the game. Former baby Laker Brandon Ingram started heating up, scoring four in a row. LA was still losing the points in the paint battle as they had 22 to Toronto’s 32.
Neither team could build a double-digit lead, though. Jake LaRavia was the only starter not to score, missing all four of his shot attempts. The Lakers went into halftime with a one-point lead after Luka drained a 3-pointer to end the half.
Ayton opened the third period with a hook shot. Smart then drained a 3-pointer, which was countered by Immanuel Quickley knocking down a triple of his own. Toronto started heating up, scoring 11 points. Ingram’s midrange jumpers were automatic and Los Angeles was having trouble defending them. Once again, neither team could build a double-digit lead as the two sides kept trading leads.
LaRavia finally got on the scoreboard with a jumpshot.
A pair of triples from Rui Hachimura and LeBron gave the Lakers a five-point lead with 1:24 left in the quarter.
Toronto’s Murray-Boyles left in the first half and was confirmed out for the remainder of the game with a left thumb sprain.
Hachimura drained his second triple of the night, giving him eight points. LA ended the third quarter with a seven-point lead.
The final frame began with a quick four points from LeBron. Toronto’s A.J. Lawson responded with a 3-pointer, which was then countered with a triple from Smart. Los Angeles was in complete control of the game with the Raptors only scoring five points in the quarter, until Scottie Barnes knocked down a couple of shots.
LA was outscoring Toronto 18 to nine in the quarter. Los Angeles emptied their bench at the 2:17 mark as they had the commanding lead.
Key Player Stats
Dončić ended with 25 points and seven assists. LeBron had 24 points with seven assists and two blocks. Ayton pitched in with 25 points and 13 rebounds, finishing a perfect 10-10 from the field.
Marcus Smart scored eight points with five rebounds and three assists. Vincent notched five points and two assists off the bench. Hachimura had 10 points.
Vando had just two points, but grabbed nine rebounds and finished a team-best plus-minus of +25. Timme played 16 minutes, scoring three points with three rebounds and recording a plus-minus of +17.
The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday at 7:00 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.