The Los Angeles Lakers faced a tough test on the road Thursday night, squaring off against the Toronto Raptors without Luka Doncic. Toronto entered the matchup third in the Eastern Conference, having surpassed the expectations of many to begin the year.
In the absence of Doncic, who was ruled out due to personal reasons, Austin Reaves took initiative offensively. Reaves finished with a game-high 44 points to go along with 10 assists and five rebounds. Reaves was just one of two Lakers to score 15-plus points, with Deandre Ayton adding 17 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.
LeBron James struggled shooting the ball, finishing with eight points on 4-for-17 shooting, including 0-for-5 from 3-point range. This marked the first time in 1,297 consecutive games that James had scored less than 10 points.
MORE: Here’s how different the world was the last time LeBron James scored under 10 points
That said, James was a catalyst to victory, as he assisted Rui Hachimura, who won the game with a corner three.
After the game, Austin Reaves praised James’ decision-making and defended his performance.
“For all the people that’s killing him his whole career for making the right play. If he shot that one, they woulda said to pass; if he passed it, they woulda said to shoot it. You tip your hat that he just cares about winning and making the right play,” said Reaves.
With the victory, Los Angeles has now won eight of their last nine games. They will play again on Friday night, facing the Boston Celtics on the second night of a back-to-back.
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