LeBron James and Lakers ‘take two steps forward’ in win over Raptors
TORONTO — The people here know.
For the 75th time in his NBA career, LeBron James stepped onto a court to face the Toronto Raptors. And before Friday, James’ team had won 56 of those games, including a trio of playoff series.
Still, the fans in Toronto always enjoy James’ annual appearance in Canada, cheering each time as he enters the game — only to watch him leave town with another win.
Friday, it was a 14-point first quarter to set the tone, James casually bullying a young Toronto team early before the Lakers hung on to win 131-125.
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Before the game, James bounced in the locker room, the illness that slowed him over the last week mostly out of his system. He arrived at the arena wearing a Ghostface mask from the “Scream” movies and wasted little time terrorizing the Raptors despite Halloween falling the night earlier.
Coming off of their first two losses, James and the Lakers recommitted to a lot of the principles coach JJ Redick has tried to instill in them this season.
“We played extremely well,” big man Anthony Davis said. “The ball was moving. We’re getting good looks, great opportunities for one another. Our defense was phenomenal. Everything that we talked about from our two losses we went on to execute in the first half. And if we play like that, we’ll be a tough team to beat.”
Stagnant in a loss at Cleveland on Wednesday, the Lakers opened Friday’s game with pace and precision and quickly ran out to a 21-point lead, Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic angrily calling timeouts every few possessions.
But while the Lakers led by 25 at halftime, the Raptors were far from through, climbing back into the game and getting within single digits multiple times in the second half.
But James’ playmaking — he had 27 points and 10 assists — combined with big shots from Rui Hachimura and D’Angelo Russell and a return to form for Davis all kept the Raptors from ever pushing in front.
“Today we took two steps forward,” James said. “That’s a good sign for our ballclub.”
Gradey Dick scored 31 points for Toronto and had a look to cut it to three with less than a minute left, but the shot rimmed out. RJ Barrett scored 33 to lead the Raptors, with Toronto playing without starters Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley.
Davis made a pair of free throws to ice the Lakers’ fourth win. He led them with 38 points and 12 rebounds and has scored at least 30 in each win.
While the game got tight in the second half after Toronto outscored the Lakers by 14 in the third quarter, the only meaningful hiccup came in the second quarter when guard Austin Reaves rolled an ankle and had to return to the locker room.
He was able to play in the second half, though he showed signs of discomfort.
“We won, so, that’s all that matters,” Reaves said. “First couple minutes after rolling it I was in some pain, but got to come back here, do a little treatment, move around and I felt good.”
The Lakers still are without Christian Wood and Jarred Vanderbilt as the pair recover from offseason surgeries. Redick said Vanderbilt was progressing but wasn’t close to playing.
“He’s had some minor discomfort, no setbacks. I think the discomfort is normal as he’s ramped up his activities on the court given that he’s coming off two surgeries,” Redick said before the game. “But yeah, he’s progressing. But I don’t think he’s a day or two away from playing. We’ll have another update in a week or so.”
Bronny James scores his first NBA points in the arena where he would watch his dad play and dream of scoring in the NBA.
The Lakers’ trip continues Monday in Detroit against the Pistons, who have lost five of six games.
Davis said that game, like Friday’s, is important.
“We need to win games,” Davis said. “We lost two in a row. We lost beating ourselves. So, I think we’re very capable of putting pressure on ourselves to have games where it’s a must-win.”
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