Anthony Davis Shines as LA Lakers Secure Thrilling Victory Against the Toronto Raptors
The Los Angeles Lakers sought to build on their recent resounding victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in their home game against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night.
The Lakers were able to go back to.500 on the season with a 132-131 win, which they duly accomplished.
The Lakers got on the board early thanks to five points from Anthony Davis, but they were unable to overcome the Raptors’ strong play and were behind 9-5 until Cam Reddish hit a three-pointer.
When the game started, Davis played a strong defensive game against a weaker Raptors team that was without starting center Jakob Poeltl. After then, Christian Wood came into the game and scored five points in a row for the Lakers.
The first quarter ended with the Lakers up 28-24 thanks to a three-pointer trade between Davis and former Laker Dennis Schroder.
After a three-pointer by D’Angelo Russell to start the second half, neither side was able to break the deadlock. It wasn’t until LeBron James tried and made a three-pointer in the middle of the second quarter that he scored. James extended Los Angeles’ advantage to eight points after hitting a long shot from the logo.
From then, the Raptors’ R.J. Barrett and Immanuel Quickley put up stellar scoring performances, putting the club up 53-51 at halftime.
When the third quarter began, the Lakers were sloppy with the ball, which allowed Barrett to make a three-pointer and give the Raptors a seven-point advantage. Crucially, Quickley then hit on successive shots from deep, and both Reddish and Taurean Prince replied with triples from that point on.
After that, James scored a three-point play and then laid up another, and Prince drained the net for another three-pointer to put the Lakers within two points of the Raptors and to force a timeout from the Raptors.
The Laker advantage was then extended to 84-78 after triples by Max Christie and Russell, as well as in transition by Jarred Vanderbilt and Russell. But the Raptors, coached by Schroder, had a great fourth quarter, extending their advantage to 89-88 heading into halftime.
The Lakers took the lead back in the fourth quarter thanks in large part to two three-pointers by Wood. Davis rediscovered its offensive brilliance and kept its tight position, and James knotted the game at 105 with a three-pointer.
In the end, Quickley’s team suffered due to his expensive fouls, which culminated in a flagrant foul that caused him to leave the game. The Lakers were able to regain the lead thanks to this, and Austin Reaves, who had a slow start to the game, scored for the first time all night.
In the final seconds, the Raptors were unable to overcome a one-point deficit despite their best efforts. Still, Davis was a huge help to the Lakers with a block and two free throws. After then, the Lakers were able to seal the deal because the Raptors made a mistake.
Even after Davis made a pair of game-winning free throws, Toronto still had a chance to win it all with some late foul shots.