Luka Doncic kept rolling Sunday night, and the Lakers needed every bit of it.
Doncic piled up 45 points, grabbed a season-best 15 rebounds and added six assists and five steals as Los Angeles held off the Toronto Raptors 131-125. He knocked down eight 3-pointers and kept stretching his lead in the NBA scoring race, topping 37 points for the fourth straight game. By the time the night was over, he had scored 40 or more for the 20th time in his 98 regular-season games with the Lakers.
He did a lot of the heavy lifting early, too. Doncic poured in 16 points in the first quarter with four triples, then reached 24 points and eight rebounds by halftime. He got to at least 40 points, 10 rebounds and five steals for the second time as a Laker, and no other player on the team has done that in a game since the 1982-83 season.
Austin Reaves added 19 points, and Walker Kessler finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds for Los Angeles, which bounced back after Friday’s 17-point loss at Golden State, a game in which the Lakers had coughed up a 25-point lead.
Toronto made things interesting late after Los Angeles had pushed the margin to 102-76 with 90 seconds left in the third quarter. The Raptors chipped away until Doncic and Reaves sparked a quick 9-1 run. Even after the Lakers emptied the bench with 1:43 remaining, Toronto’s reserves scored 11 points in 40 seconds and cut the lead to 125-120, forcing Doncic, Reaves and Kessler back into the game to close it out.
Scottie Barnes led the Raptors with 29 points, and RJ Barrett scored 22. Toronto opened a four-game road trip with its third loss in four games.
Kawhi Leonard sat out for the fourth straight game because of a knee injury. He also will not play in front of any disgruntled Clippers fans when Toronto visits the Intuit Dome on Monday.
Cameron Carr, the Lakers’ first-round pick, made his NBA debut in the final 1:43 after missing the first six games with an oblique muscle injury.
In Other News...
Chris Bouchers Next Move Just Gave Raptors Fans A New Update
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The Sharks are off to a strong start this season and already have some familiar NBA names around Boucher, including DAngelo Russell and Brandon Goodwin. After stints with the Raptors and Celtics, Boucher now joins a team with real momentum and a roster built to compete, leaving Toronto supporters with one more former Raptor to follow as his career takes another turn. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Finally Got The Kawhi Update They Desperately Needed
Kawhi Leonard is finally moving in the right direction, and for a Raptors team trying to steady itself on a road trip, that matters. Toronto announced that Leonard has successfully completed treatment for left knee swelling and will begin the return-to-play process, a sign that the long wait for a meaningful update is over even if the finish line is still a little ways off.
The next checkpoint comes in a week, and in the meantime the Raptors will likely have to keep getting by without him through several upcoming games. There is at least a chance Leonard could be available for the Nov. 11 game, but for now the bigger takeaway is simply that Toronto has a clearer path than it did a day ago, and a much better sense of when this situation might start to open up. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Could Lose A Key Assistant To A Job He Nearly Landed
Jama Mahlalela has long been one of the more respected voices on the Raptors bench, and his name is suddenly back in the mix for a prominent womens basketball job. He was a finalist for the New York Liberty head coaching position last year before the team went with Chris DeMarco, and now that DeMarco reportedly is not returning for the 2027 season, the door may be open again.
For Toronto, it is the kind of development worth watching closely. Mahlalela brings coaching experience from both the Raptors and the Golden State Warriors, and another run at the Liberty job would put him in the same conversation he was nearly part of a year ago. The Raptors have benefited from his presence, but they may have to brace for the possibility that he gets another serious look elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]