Doncic scores 45 as Lakers beat Raptors 131-125

Luka Doncic had 45 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and five steals as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Toronto Raptors 131-125 on Sunday night at Crypto.com Arena, The Associated Press reported.

Scottie Barnes scored 29 points and RJ Barrett added 22 for Toronto, which opened a four-game road trip with its third loss in four games. The result left the Raptors at 3-3 and improved the Lakers to 5-2, according to ClutchPoints.

The game drew more than 20,000 searches in Canada on Google Trends over the past day, with “Luka Doncic” among the related terms.

Doncic was 12-for-23 from the field and made eight of his 12 three-point attempts, ClutchPoints reported. It was his fourth straight game with at least 37 points, a mark he reached against Toronto within three quarters, and his 20th game of 40 or more points in 98 regular-season games with Los Angeles, the AP said.

The AP said Doncic has now had two games with the Lakers of at least 40 points, 10 rebounds and five steals, and that no other Lakers player has done it since the 1982-83 season. ClutchPoints reported that no NBA player had ever matched his exact line from Sunday.

He had 16 points and four threes in the first quarter and was at 24 points and eight rebounds by halftime. Barnes and Doncic had a brief scuffle, ClutchPoints said, and Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic was called for a technical foul in the second quarter, the AP reported.

Los Angeles led 102-76 with 90 seconds left in the third quarter before Toronto closed to single digits. Doncic and Austin Reaves answered with a 9-1 run, the AP said.

The Lakers then pulled their starters with 1:43 remaining and a 16-point lead. Toronto’s reserves scored 11 points in 40 seconds to cut the gap to 125-120, and Doncic, Reaves and Walker Kessler had to return for the last few possessions.

Reaves finished with 19 points, and Kessler had 16 points and 15 rebounds. Collin Sexton scored 14 off the bench. The Lakers were coming off a 17-point loss at Golden State on Friday in which they gave up a 25-point lead. Rookie Cameron Carr, the team’s first-round pick, made his NBA debut in the final 1:43 after missing six games with an oblique injury.

Kawhi Leonard missed his fourth straight game for Toronto with a knee injury, and the AP reported he will also sit out Monday when the Raptors visit the Los Angeles Clippers, his former team. The Lakers host the Miami Heat on Monday.

The Raptors’ season began with a 135-92 win over Chicago and a win over Washington before their first loss, to Minnesota.

Sources: The Associated Press via The Canadian Press, ClutchPoints via Yahoo Sports.

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