Luka Doncic kept the Lakers rolling Sunday night, and he did it in a way that left little doubt about who controlled the game. He poured in 45 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, handed out six assists and swiped five steals in a 131-125 win over the Raptors, knocking down eight of his 12 three-point tries.
The scoring burst was the easy part to notice. The harder part for the Lakers was putting the game away.
After coming off a blown 25-point lead against Golden State, they again had trouble closing things out. Los Angeles led by as many as 26 and took a 22-point cushion into the fourth, but Toronto answered with 43 points in the final period and forced JJ Redick to send his starters back in.
Doncic’s impact wasn’t limited to offense. He also made his presence felt defensively, collecting those five steals and drawing three charges. Walker Kessler added 16 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks, and he was perfect from the floor and the line, going 6-for-6 on field goals and 4-for-4 on free throws.
Even with the win, the Lakers still had a clean-up item staring them in the face. They moved to 5-2, but their 24 turnovers gave Redick plenty to address before Monday’s matchup with the Heat.
In Chicago, the conversation is about what comes next for Nic Claxton. He’s back to full practice after a training camp hamstring injury, which gives the Bulls another option in the middle as they try to shore up a defense that has struggled badly around the rim. The bigger question is whether he should go straight into the starting lineup.
That’s the debate Elias Schuster of Bulls On SI raised, and it’s not a simple one. Jalen Smith has made a strong case to keep the job. Through six games, he’s averaging 12.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and a block, and Schuster points to his rebounding, energy and floor spacing as reasons coach Tiago Splitter shouldn’t rush to change the rotation.
Claxton gives Chicago something different. He’s the rim protector and lob threat the Bulls wanted when they acquired him from Brooklyn in the offseason, and that kind of presence matters for a team that is allowing 52.3 points in the paint per game. At 1-5, the Bulls need help there, but Schuster expects Claxton to start eventually while arguing Smith’s play has earned more consideration.
Brooklyn, meanwhile, finally got a result it can hang onto. The Nets snapped a five-game skid with a 98-90 win at Indiana on Sunday, a much-needed response after Friday’s rough loss to Detroit.
Ivan White of Nets On SI noted that the Nets had already shown some progress in an overtime loss at Boston before slipping back against the Pistons. The win over the Pacers offered a chance to steady things after that uneven opening stretch.
There isn’t much time to enjoy it. Brooklyn heads to New York on Monday for the second night of a back-to-back, with a chance to follow its first win with another against the defending champions.
In Other News...
Caleb Wilson Is Already Challenging Bulls Fans To Rethink This Rebuild
Six games into his first NBA season, Caleb Wilson has already given Bulls fans a reason to look at this rebuild a little differently. The third overall pick in the 2026 draft is averaging 21.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists, production that has arrived even as Chicago has stumbled to a 1-5 start and sits 13th in the Eastern Conference.
Wilson has also sounded like more than just a young scorer finding his footing. He has talked about keeping a winning mentality and embracing a leadership role, a message that carries extra weight for a team still sorting through the early stages of its rebuild. With the 76ers up next, the Bulls are still searching for results, but Wilson is already making it clear he expects the standard around him to be higher than the standings suggest. [Read more 🡒]
Patrick Williams Is Stuck In A Bulls Situation Fans Hate
Patrick Williams has found himself in an awkward spot to start the season, healthy but still waiting for a chance to get back into the Bulls rotation. After missing time with an adductor strain, he has been available again, yet he has not appeared in a game as Chicago has tried to sort through a rough stretch and a series of losses.
Tiago Splitter has pointed to Williams work in practice and suggested the rotation will not stay static forever, which at least leaves the door open for a role later on. For now, though, the situation is the kind that frustrates fans because it leaves a former key piece on the sideline while the team keeps searching for answers on the floor. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Are About To Get A Real Nic Claxton Test
The Bulls have spent the opening stretch of the 2026-27 season trying to patch together a defense without the center they expected to anchor it. Nic Claxton has been out with a hamstring injury, and Chicagos early struggles on that end of the floor have only sharpened the anticipation around his return, since the team has been missing the kind of rim protection and mobility it built its plan around.
Claxton is now moving closer to a comeback, with the next steps focused on getting him fully back into rhythm before he sees game action. Even so, the bigger question for Chicago is not just when he returns, but what kind of impact he can make once he does. The Bulls need him to steady a defense that has been shaky, yet his recent performance history leaves some uncertainty about how seamless that fit will be. [Read more 🡒]