Luka Doncic recorded 45 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and five steals to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 131-125 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night at Crypto.com Arena.
Doncic shot 12-of-23 from the field, made eight of 12 three-pointers and went 13-of-13 from the free-throw line. He scored at least 37 points for the fourth consecutive game, strengthening his early lead in the NBA scoring race.
The Slovenian guard reached 40 points before the end of the third quarter, finishing with his 20th 40-point performance in 98 regular-season games with the Lakers. He also became the first Lakers player since the 1982-83 season to record at least 40 points, 10 rebounds and five steals in a game, doing so for the second time with the franchise.
Doncic scored 16 points in the first quarter, including four three-pointers, and had 24 points and eight rebounds by halftime. Los Angeles carried a 66-54 lead into the break and extended the margin to 102-76 with 90 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Toronto cut the deficit to single digits, but Doncic and Austin Reaves helped the Lakers respond with a 9-1 run. Reaves finished with 19 points, while Walker Kessler added 16 points and 15 rebounds without missing a shot, going 6-of-6 from the field.
The Raptors made another late push after Los Angeles removed its starters with 1:43 remaining. Toronto’s reserves scored 11 points in 40 seconds to reduce the deficit to 125-120, forcing Doncic, Reaves and Kessler back into the game for the closing possessions.
Scottie Barnes led Toronto with 29 points, five assists and six rebounds, while RJ Barrett scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Jamison Battle added 20 points off the bench, but the Raptors fell to 3-3 after losing their third game in four outings.
The Lakers improved to 5-2, bouncing back from Friday’s 17-point loss to Golden State. Cameron Carr, the team’s first-round pick, made his NBA debut after missing the first six games with an oblique injury.
The Raptors visit the Clippers on Monday night, while the Lakers host the Miami Heat.
