The Los Angeles Lakers have been busy lately, playing five games in seven nights with a pair of flights mixed into that.
They have mostly struggled during this stretch with numerous key players in and out of the lineup, but they finished it strong with a dominant 110-93 victory over the Toronto Raptors at home on Sunday night. The 93 points were the fewest the team has given up in a game this season.
LeBron James and Luka Doncic were both in the lineup in the second night of a back-to-back, but in this one it was Deandre Ayton that led the way.
Ayton missed the Lakers’ game in Portland on Saturday with knee soreness but was able to play in this one and turned in his best performance of the season.
Ayton finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds on a perfect 10-for-10 shooting from the field. With the performance, he became the first player this season to record a 20-point game on perfect shooting with at least 10 field-goal attempts and the 34th player in NBA history to do so with 10 or more rebounds.
The big man becomes just the third player in Lakers history to shoot 100% from the field on 10 or more attempts with at least 10 rebounds, joining Wilt Chamberlain (March 11, 1969) and Mitch Kupchak (Nov. 20, 1981).
Ayton’s 25 points were tied for a game-high with Doncic, who did not shoot well at 8-of-23 but still had 25 points, two rebounds, seven assists, one block and one steal. He was been dealing with a groin injury and clearly wasn’t 100% but still gave it a go for his team.
Meanwhile, James played in all five of the Lakers’ games this week despite being 41 years of age. You couldn’t tell if he was fatigued on Sunday though as the forward had 24 points, four rebounds, seven assists and two blocks on 9-of-17 shooting.
The Lakers also got some contributions that went beyond the statsheet as well as Jarred Vanderbilt played spectacular defense on Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes all night. He only had two points but also contributed nine rebounds and was a game-high plus-25 in 22 minutes of action off the bench for L.A.
When guys like Vanderbilt, Marcus Smart and Gabe Vincent are playing with that type of defensive intensity, it makes this team tough to beat.
What’s next for the Lakers…
The Lakers will now head out on an eight-game road trip, their longest of the season, starting with their first matchup with the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday.
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