After defeating the L.A. Clippers, the Lakers hoped to build momentum against the Toronto Raptors at home on Tuesday.
Lakers beat the opposition 132-131 to get back to.500 on the season.
Anthony Davis scored the Lakers’ first five points, but the remaining lineup struggled, giving the Raptors a 9-5 lead before Cam Reddish’s three-pointer.
Davis played well defensively early against a weak Raptors team sans starting center Jakob Poeltl. Christian Wood entered the game and scored five straight for Los Angeles.
The Lakers led 28-24 after Davis and Dennis Schroder traded three-pointers in the first quarter.
D’Angelo Russell started the second half with a three-pointer, but both teams stagnated. James scored after converting a three-point play midway through the second quarter. James blasted a deep one from the logo to give Los Angeles an eight-point advantage.
R.J. Barrett and Immanuel Quickley then thrived offensively, giving the Raptors a 53-51 halftime advantage.
Barrett’s three-pointer extended the Raptors’ advantage to seven in the third quarter due to the Lakers’ recklessness. After then, Taurean Prince and Reddish hit triples, which was essential since Quickley then hit consecutive deep shots.
After that, James made successive layups, including a three-point play, and Prince added another to force a Raptors timeout and get the Lakers within two.
Russell and Max Christie hit triples, and Jarred Vanderbilt and Russell finished in transition to increase the Laker lead to 84-78. Under Schroder, the Raptors finished the quarter well to lead 89-88 entering the fourth.
Two triples by Wood to start the fourth quarter helped the Lakers retake the lead. James knotted the game at 105 with a three-pointer as Davis found its offense and stayed close.
Quickley was flagrantly fouled out of the game after costly fouls hurt his team. This gave the Lakers the lead again, and Austin Reaves finally scored after a slow start.
Despite staying around, the Raptors fell one point behind in the final seconds. Davis blocked and made two free throws for Los Angeles. The Raptors made a mistake, giving the Lakers the win.
Davis’ clutch free throws sealed the game, but Toronto’s late foul shots kept it close.