Tuesday night, LeBron James recorded 23 points, Anthony Davis contributed 21 points and 12 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Toronto Raptors 128-111 to earn their seventh victory in eight games.
D’Angelo Russell tallied 25 points on 7-for-14 shooting from three-point range; Rui Hachimura added 14 points; and Max Christie contributed 12 to the Lakers’ 14th consecutive loss to a regressing Toronto.
James, who led the NBA in career scoring with ten assists, completed ten of twelve shots.
James entered Sunday’s victory at Brooklyn having matched his career high with nine three-pointers. Against the Raptors, the 20-time All-Star attempted and completed a solitary long-range jumper with 5:22 remaining in the third quarter.
James bowed out with 9:22 remaining in the fourth quarter, following Los Angeles’ announcement of a 27-point lead (109-82). Davis remained seated throughout the fourth quarter. Wednesday night: The Washingtоn Wizards will be hosting the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Raptors received 20 points each from Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett (28 points). In 1997-98, Toronto lost a franchise-worst seventeen consecutive games.
Gary Trent Jr. of Toronto retired to rest, whereas Barrett and Quickley, who had been absent for personal reasons and reconditioning, resumed their duties. Despite a 17-point combined effort in the first, the Lakers took a 34-25 advantage in the quarter with an 18-4 spurt in the fourth.
At the intermission, Los Angeles maintained a 64-58 advantage. With nine points each from James and Davis, the Lakers increased their lead to 100-79 in the third period.
Five players remained sidelined with injuries for the Raptors, including mainstays Jakob Poeltl and Scottie Barnes. Jonathantay Porter, a two-way player for Toronto, has missed his fifth consecutive game due to an ongoing investigation into allegations of wagering.
Bruce Brown, a guard for the Raptors, exited the fourth quarter with a right knee ιnjury.
Forward Cam Reddish was unavailable for personal reasons, and guard Gabe Vincent missed the first night of back-to-back contests pending the recovery from surgery on his left knee.
