The Lakers fell to 2-10 after losing to the Toronto Raptors 102-91 (no tacos for the home crowd). The Lakers had the lead a few different times in the first half, leading by as much as 7 before imploding in the third quarter. The Raptors shot 45.5% from beyond the arc, which is uncharacteristic of them. Kyle Lowry was the star player for the Dinos, notching 25 points and going 7-11 from beyond the arc. The narrative of point guards having massive games against the Lakers’ perimeter defense (or lack thereof) continues.
Focusing on the positives before the negatives, the Lakers’ youth had a fairly impressive game, combining for 48 points and they all played over 30 minutes. The player with the best plus-minus was Julius Randle at +15. Julius also posted a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Now, for the negatives. There were a lot of those tonight. Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Brandon Bass, Nick Young, Lou Williams and Larry Nance Jr. were all negative plus-minus players tonight, with Nance posting the worst at -27. But he was the leader tonight in bench celebrations.
Kobe Bryant played 37 minutes. That speaks for itself, I think.
The Lakers next match up is against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night, and if you’re a fantasy basketball man, it might be a good idea to trade for Damian Lillard.
