LeBron James (23 PTS, 9 AST) and Anthony Davis (21 PTS, 12 REB) led the Lakers to a straightforward 128-111 win over the Toronto Raptors.
Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers have won their seventh game in eight attempts, comfortably dispatching the Toronto Raptors 128-111 tonight. The pitiful Raptors didn’t stand a chance, as the Lakers maximized the result to keep their playoff push alive. Fans appreciated the performance as the Lakers continued pushing up the table.
Fans started referring to Toronto as ‘LeBronto’ to recognize LeBron’s domination in the city over his career.
Some fans heavily praised the Lakers starting five.
Fans observed how the Lakers have matched their win total from last season already, with six games still left to play.
Max Christie received a bigger role in the lineup today and impressed fans around the world.
Fans praised D’Angelo Russell for having a great night that somehow was going under the radar.
Fans in the arena gave LeBron a standing ovation, similar to what Nets fans did for LeBron after their last game.
Fans pointed out how D’Angelo Russell’s redemption arc continues to play out in front of us all.
The Lakers were led by D’Angelo Russell’s scoring, putting up 25 points and seven assists, making eight 3-pointers during the game. LeBron James had 23 points and nine assists, while Anthony Davis contributed 21 points and 12 rebounds in a simple win. Rui Hachimura had 14 points, while Max Christie had 12 points and seven rebounds, which was a very strong showing.
The shorthanded Raptors saw R.J. Barrett put up 28 points to be the leading scorer in the game. Immanuel Quickley also put up 20 points, but the Raptors had no defensive or offensive identity to rely on, something the Lakers made great use of to seal this win.
Can The Lakers Escape The No. 9 Seed?
The Los Angeles Lakers have been stuck in the No. 9 seed in the West for the last few months. Even when the team was under .500 in late December, the team was stuck as the No. 9 seed. After two months of hard performances to improve their record to 43-33, the Lakers still haven’t been able to move up beyond No. 9.
Every playoff team in the West has become a winning machine, rarely dropping games. This may be the most challenging Western Conference we’ve ever seen, with the Rockets on track to become the first-ever team to finish as the No. 11 seed and have a winning record. The Lakers’ future is completely reliant on if teams around them will continue losing games.
The Lakers are one game behind the Sacramento Kings and 1.5 games behind the Phoenix Suns, who are the No. 7 seed. The odds of catching up with the Pelicans at No. 6 are getting slimmer, with the Lakers currently 2.5 games behind New Orleans. The small gaps make a lot of changes possible, but only if some teams start dropping games.
The Lakers could hope to climb to No. 8 with the Suns’ tough schedule and the Kings suffering injuries, but provided they can continue this form and win more games, even with a back-to-back tomorrow night against the Wizards, who just beat the Milwaukee Bucks.
