The Los Angeles Lakers got back on track this past weekend when they beat the Brooklyn Nets on Easter Sunday and they continued their road trip up north in Canada to take on the Toronto Raptors.
Toronto made the decision to rebuild their roster after trading away Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, and they’re headed for a high pick in the 2024 NBA Draft as they entered the night on a 13-game losing streak. The Raptors’ lack of success essentially made it a must-win game for the Lakers who are still fighting for Play-In Tournament positioning.
After a relatively slow first half, Los Angeles blew the game open in the third quarter and walked out with a stress-free win that marked their seventh in their past eight games.
D’Angelo Russell has been anchoring the Lakers’ offense with his hot shooting and that continued against the Raptors as he was the catalyst for the team breaking later in the evening. Russell was determined get his shots up from the outside and Los Angeles did a good job of generating open looks for him to knock down.
Russell led the Lakers in scoring with 25 points on an efficient 9-of-17 shooting from the field including a blistering 7-of-14 from beyond the arc. He was also was an effective playmaker, dishing out seven assists to go along with two rebounds.
Right behind Russell was LeBron James who has historically played well in Toronto. With Russell and the rest of the team finding ways to score, James was able to cruise through most of the evening though he picked his spots well.
The Raptors’ smaller frontcourt had no chance guarding James, who got whatever he wanted on the floor. James finished with 23 points on a near-perfect 10-of-12 shooting. He narrowly missed a double-double with nine assists, though he was only needed for 29 minutes.
Like James, Anthony Davis took advantage of the massive size disparity in the paint as he continually found himself open near the rim. Davis is one of the league leaders in double-doubles during the 2023-24 season and he added another one to his total after he recorded 21 points and 12 rebounds.
The highlight of the night came when the game was out of reach though as Jaxson Hayes went between his legs for a ridiculous Eastbay dunk in transition. He would finish the night with seven points and seven rebounds off the bench.
What’s next for Lakers
Los Angeles will travel back down to the states to take on the Washington Wizards on the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday. The Lakers will then return home to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers for an early afternoon game on Saturday.
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Los Angeles Lakers(96) - Minnesota Timberwolves(103)
