The Lakers win a thriller in their first night of the back-to-back in Toronto with Rui Hachimura’s corner three-point shot.
The Lakers are currently in the midst of a 3-game east coast road trip facing off against Toronto, Boston and Philadelphia. They beat the Raptors last night in an incredibly hard-fought game that came down to the last shot.
After the missed layup by Brandon Ingram, the Lakers secured the final possession with the shot clock off. Austin Reaves brought the ball up the floor and waited out the clock. The Raptors threw a double team at Reaves with about 7 seconds left. Anticipating the double, Reaves throws a bounce pass to LeBron who then drives down the middle and kicks it to the left-hand corner for a wide-open Hachimura three ball.
The Lakers were without Luka Doncic and may be without him for the road trip as he is listed out for personal reasons. Marcus Smart also missed last night’s game and will miss tonight’s matchup vs Boston due to a left lumbar muscle strain.
Another Stellar Austin Reaves Game
The Lakers displayed a collective effort from many different players and were led by yet another impressive Austin Reaves performance. Austin had 44 points on an efficient 13-21 shooting night, 10 assists and 5 rebounds. He is playing not just at an All-Star level, but at an All-NBA level. He’s averaging 28.9 points, 6.8 assists, 37.1% from three and 52.6% from the field overall.
Deandre Ayton had 17 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks. Hachimura had 12 points on 4-9 shooting and the biggest shot of the game. Jake LaRavia and Nick Smith Jr. were so valuable off the bench. LaRavia provided 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and a block. Smith Jr. had 12 points, 2 steals and was 2-3 from three.
LeBron James, while not shooting the ball well (4-17 FG), dished out 11 assists with 0 turnovers to go along with 6 rebounds and had the final dime that led to Hachimura’s game winning three. James’ long streak of games in which he’d score 10+ points also came to an end last night, stopping at 1,297 consecutive games, the longest in NBA history.
The Lakers take on the Boston Celtics tonight at the TD Garden on the second night of a back-to-back. The Lakers will sit LeBron for this matchup, but he is expected to play on Sunday in Philadelphia. Austin Reaves and the Lakers are going to once again need a everybody to step up if they are to steal a win in hostile territory.
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