The Toronto Raptors hung in there to the best of their abilities against the Los Angeles Lakers but were ultimately outmatched once again losing 128-111. After it was only a single-digit game at halftime, the Lakers blew it open in the third quarter outscoring the Raptors 36-21.
The loss marked the 14th straight for Toronto and is the second-longest losing streak the Raptors have ever had. They’ll have a few more games to reach the all-time mark however, which was set during the 1997-1998 season that got all the way up to 17 games.
Despite the loss, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley returned to the lineup for the first time since March 11th and March 17th respectively. The offence looked immediately better with Barrett finishing with 28 points, six assists, six rebounds, and cashed two shots from deep. Quickley was no slouch either in his return, dropping 20 points, diming six assists, and grabbing three boards.
The Raptors continued to lack size and be outmatched physically down low. They just simply don’t have options at the centre position, as once Kelly Olynyk picked up his fourth foul in the third quarter, Garrett Temple checked in as the big man to guard Anthony Davis. The unibrow finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds while LeBron James put up 23 points, nine assists, and four rebounds.
Other notable performances:
Gradey Dick 14 points and two rebounds (Fun fact, the 20-year-old Dick was born 22 days after LeBron James’ NBA debut)
Kelly Olynyk 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two blocks
D’Angelo Russell 25 points, seven assists, and two rebounds.
Among the seven games remaining for Toronto, five of them will be against teams above .500. They’ll start the final stretch tonight in the second half of a back-to-back against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
