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Back and forth the Raptors and Lakers went, no lead safe, no team capable of going on an extended run, no clear-cut favourite until the night’s waning minutes.
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L.A. isn’t that good, but it does feature two of the game’s very best in LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
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These days in L.A., the best team happens to be the Clippers, who will play host to the Raptors Wednesday night.
While the Lakers have been struggling, they did show resolve against a Raptors team that has been playing well.
Toronto matched the Lakers’ fight as this night turned into a heavyweight affair when every single possession down the stretch had the feel of a playoff game.
The whistle was not kind to the Raptors, but neither were King James and A.D.
Size became a factor early in the evening and it became a major problem late for the Raptors when Davis could not be stopped.
Four games into this six-game road trip and the Raptors find themselves breaking even at 2-2 following their 132-131 loss to the Lakers.
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The Raptors could easily be 4-0 had they played a better first half in Sacramento Friday night.
Trying to contain the likes of LeBron and Davis is no easy task. Toronto did not lack effort and nor did it lack desperation.
What it lacked involved elite players such as James and Davis, whose reputation in the league allows each to receive the benefit of the whistle.
Some will decry the disparity of free throw attempts in the fourth quarter, but the very nature of the NBA is to reward star players.
The Raptors have none.
The Lakers have two.
The new-look Raptors following the trade with the Knicks that landed R.J. Barrett and Immanuel Quickley have been a quick study in pace, poise and precision.
When adversity strikes, which it often does in the NBA during the flow of a game, the Raptors have shown this ability to regroup and reload.
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At Crypto.com Arena in the first of a back-to-back against the two L.A.-based teams, the Raptors lacked the energy they showed two nights earlier when the Golden State Warriors played host to Toronto.
The Raptors would discover their mojo in the second quarter against a disjointed Lakers team when Barrett and Quickley elevated their play.
Barrett, who had 37 points in the win over the Warriors, netted 14 in the period on 6-for-7 shooting.
Quickley added eight points in a 29-point second quarter by the Raptors, who led by two at the break.
Toronto would lead by as many as eight points in the third.
James then decided to impose his will and the game turned very competitive when the Lakers made stops that led to shots dropping.
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The night’s drama unfolded in the fourth quarter in a game that would be tied, 105-105, with 5:43 remaining following a James three-pointer.
With 3:52 left, Quickley picked up his sixth foul made worse by a dubious flagrant ruling.
Scottie Barnes would foul out very late in the game.
YOUNG AT HEART
With Jakob Poeltl (ankle) unavailable for at least the next two weeks, the Raptors went with Thaddeus Young at centre.
There’s no denying Young’s experience and high hoops IQ, but he is not physically capable of matching up against Davis.
Even if Poeltl, who turned his ankle during Sunday’s win over Golden State, had been available it still would have been a tough cover.
Davis is an elite player who can dominate inside and outside, post up or take his man off the dribble, face up or play with his back to the basket.
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Had Poeltl played, Davis would have forced Poeltl to extend his defence, making him vulnerable on the perimeter.
Young competed, but he lacks the size to prevent Davis from carving his spot on the block.
As a result, Davis opened the game by making seven of his first nine shots, leading to a 28-24 Lakers advantage following the first quarter.
The Raptors tried to contain the man known as A.D. by resorting to a zone defence, a scheme the club routinely employs when making stops prove elusive.
Normally, the Raptors go with a zone look when too much penetration initiated from the perimeter results in far too many paint touches.
HOORAY JONTAY
Toronto’s six-game road trip has turned into a bit of a coming out party for Jontay Porter.
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For the fourth straight game, the Raptors gave the left-handed big minutes.
Porter isn’t going to overwhelm you, but he does leave everything out on the floor when called upon.
He made a very nice feed to Chris Boucher, who promptly finished the sequence with an emphatic dunk.
Porter recorded three assists in 10 assists.
No shots would be made on two attempts, but Porter did produce one steal.
COOKING CLIPPERS
The Clippers had their five-game win streak snapped when their hallway brethren ended a four-game losing stretch Sunday in the battle of Los Angeles.
The Clippers then routed visiting Phoenix the following night and will play host to the Raptors Wednesday night.
“They got three hall of famers that are really hard to guard,” said Suns coach Frank Vogel, who served as the Lakers’ head coach when the NBA’s marquee club won the NBA title in 2022. “They got a complete team.”
One could argue the Clippers feature four future hall of famers.
Ivica Zubac isn’t one of them, but he is the longest-tenured player on the Clippers.
The team’s starting centre has been on a roll and is in the midst of a career season.
The presence of James Harden has helped unlock Zubac’s game, especially in pick and roll sequences.
“I’ve always been confident, but right now it’s at a high level,” said Zubac.
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