Lakers closeout Raptors behind big night from Anthony Davis
The Lakers move back to .500 (19–19) behind a season-high 41-point outing from Anthony Davis after closing out the win with eight straight free throws in the final minute to beat the Toronto Raptors 125–124 on Tuesday.
The momentum and final closing were sparked behind a dominantly driven Davis, who scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to close out a much-needed win for L.A.
“His relentlessness in the paint was huge for us tonight,” head coach Darvin Ham said.
To go with his high-scoring night, Davis notched 11 rebounds and six assists in 39 minutes of action.
“Just in a great rhythm right now. Teammates doing a good job of giving me the basketball in spots where I can be effective. Trying to do everything I can just to help the team get back to the other side, which is winning,” Davis said of his performance.
The Lakers took a high volume of attempts from the foul line, with 23 attempts coming in the fourth quarter, compared to 36 attempts (made 28) on the night to Toronto’s 13 (made 8).
The high volume of foul trips came from the aggressiveness of AD attacking a center-less Raptors team, with starting center Jakob Poeltl out with an ankle sprain and late-game intentional fouls in a free throw battle.
A high-scoring night from both sides took the Lakers 44 points in the fourth quarter to itch out the win, with Toronto right behind at 42 points.
LeBron had a quiet fourth quarter with five points but flashed brilliance with a logo three in the second and bully ball action in the paint against a small lineup.
“We can’t win without AD; it’s impossible,” LeBron said about the night Davis had.
LeBron finished with 22 points, 12 assists and five rebounds in 35 minutes.
The Lakers had every starter in the lineup score in double figures, including two from the bench, with D’Angelo Russell and Christian Wood leading the second unit for the second straight game.
Cam Reddish knocked down four shots from the perimeter on six attempts (66%), finishing with 13 points.
At just under four minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Raptors newly acquired trade piece Immanuel Quickley sidestepped to the basket with Reddish covering, unintentionally elbowing him in the face. Quickley was given a flagrant one after review while piking up his sixth foul, and Reddish went back to the locker room.
Ham said Reddish was evaluated by the Lakers medical staff.
Wood had 14 points and four rebounds, while Russell contributed 11 points and five assists.
Austin Reaves struggled to find consistency from the field, going three-for-10 and one-for-six from three. He finished with 11 points and seven assists in 31 minutes.
In the past six games, including against Toronto, Reaves is four-for-28 from three for 14%, showcasing just how bad his slump has been from deep.
The Lakers remain at home for their next matchup against the 19–18 Pheonix Suns on Thursday at 7 p.m. Pheonix is coming off a 27-point loss to the Clippers, who have lost three of their last four.
