The LA Lakers shook off a sluggish first half and Anthony Davis' eye injury to beat the Toronto Raptors 123-103 on Sunday. Against the road-weary visitors, Los Angeles fell behind by 10 points early and trailed 34-26 after the first 12 minutes. They outscored their opponents 97-69 in the next three quarters to get the decisive win.
AD finished with 22 points, four rebounds, three assists and two blocks. 19 of his points came in the first half. He exited a little past the halfway point of the third quarter after an inadvertent eye poke. LeBron James tallied 19 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds for his second straight triple-double.
The Toronto Raptors gave a good fight, but playing on short rest and without key players proved too much to overcome.
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Toronto Raptors vs LA Lakers player stats and box score
Toronto Raptors player stats and box score
LA Lakers player stats and box score
Toronto Raptors vs LA Lakers: Game Summary
The Raptors were ready for the Lakers to open the game and led 34-26 after one quarter. RJ Barrett, Gradey Dick and Jakob Poeltl led the visitors in scoring. Big men Chris Boucher and Bruno Fernando had their impact off the bench.
Anthony Davis scored 10 of the Lakers’ 26 points while the bench added six. LeBron James went 0-for-3 but had three assists and one rebound in seven first-quarter minutes.
AD sustained his dominance in the paint in the second quarter. He finished the first half with 19 points, three rebounds and one steal. "King James" still had trouble hitting shots and ended the first two periods with five points.
The Raptors continued to stay ahead of the Lakers and led by 10 points at one point. Poeltl, Barrett and Agbaji combined for 33 points, 16 rebounds and four assists. Toronto led 55-53 at halftime.
Cam Reddish, Austin Reaves, LeBron James and D’Angelo Russell picked up the scoring slack in the third quarter. Anthony Davis added three points to his total but suffered an eye injury. The All-Star center did not return after exiting with 5:16 remaining.
The Toronto Raptors looked gassed to start the second half and finally lagged behind the hosts. RJ Barrett struggled as the game wore on. He had two points and three rebounds in the fourth quarter. The Raptors trailed 88-82 entering the final frame.
The LA Lakers kept their foot on the gas in the fourth quarter. Without AD, Jaxson Hayes stepped up in his place. Reaves kept pouring the points while James’ playmaking and all-around game stood out. LA cruised to a 123-103 victory.
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