3 Takeaways from Lakers' Closer-Than-Necessary Win Over Raptors

Los Angeles built up a big lead early... and almost blew it late.

Nov 1, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) gets fouled by Toronto Raptors forward Chris Boucher (25) as he goes to make a basket during the first half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

En route to what should have been a total redemption win against a Toronto Raptors club missing its best player, the Los Angeles Lakers did what they were supposed to do early, building up a demonstrative 43-19 lead in the game's first quarter. But L.A. almost blew it all in a hurry.

All-Star combo forward Scottie Barnes, plus critical big man Kelly Olynyk and pricey guard Immanuel Quickley, all sat out for the Raptors. The bout was supposed to be a cakewalk, and it looked for a second like it would be.

The Lakers held steady with the Raptors, narrowly winning the second quarter, 33-32. But the Lakers' defense completely collapsed in the contest's third frame, where the club was roundly outscored 37-23. Some critical fourth quarter scoring from point guard D'Angelo Russell and a pair of clutch Rui Hachimura triples, in combination with key glass work courtesy of Anthony Davis (who had another epic game), saved L.A. from a total late collapse. The Lakers won, 131-125, improving to a 4-2 record on the young season.

Here are our takeaways:

A JJ Redick Point of Emphasis: Feeding The Hot Hand

L.A.'s first-year head coach had some actual bona fide offensive strategies to close the game, when the going got shaky.

Much as he did when 20-time All-NBA combo forward LeBron James' scoring was uncharacteristically faltering against the Phoenix Suns earlier this season, Redick allowed L.A.'s offense to move away from its lead ballhandler.

With the Raptors scarily within eight points midway through the fourth frame, Hachimura shook off a rough shooting night by icing back-to-back treys on consecutive Lakers possessions, putting L.A. up 112-100.

Davis was a steady hand even throughout this period, scoring on a steady diet of floaters and charity stripe trips.

After the Hachimura run, Russell came alive late, scoring a quick eight points in a three-and-a-half-minute stretch to help keep the Lakers afloat.

Sensing vulnerability, the Raptors played the free throw game, hacking Davis and Austin Reaves to stop the clock and claw their way into the fun, behind spirited scoring from Gradey Dick and expert passing from R.J. Barrett. But the Lakers held them off.

Anthony Davis and LeBron James' 2-Man Game Is On Fire

James found Davis early and often for dishes around the rim.

The 39-year-old superstar remains one of the league's best passers. He showed off a snazzy behind-the-back bounce pass to the nine-time All-Star early:

The behind-the-back dime is so tough 🥽 pic.twitter.com/5JJY8K4d67

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 2, 2024

Davis also feasted off a high-arcing alley-oop James find:

LeBron goes up top to AD for the oop! 🤝

Catch all the Lakers action on Spectrum SportsNet+ with the NBA app for Spectrum customers with both Internet and mobile services. 🔗:https://t.co/k8Sa1tKN6U pic.twitter.com/rkPrb8P5nI

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) November 2, 2024

The duo was so dynamic, James even channeled his old running mate Kevin Love with a crosscourt outlet to a fastbreaking Davis:

Go ahead, AD 😤 pic.twitter.com/HtCOVDGd8A

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 2, 2024

Davis and James remain the stars of the show for Los Angeles, and they wouldn't be denied Friday night.

Davis finished with a Lakers-high 38 points on 14-of-20 shooting from the field and 10-of-11 shooting from the foul line. The 6-foot-10 big man also grabbed 11 rebounds, swiped three steals, blocked two shots and dished out a pair of dimes.

James scored 27 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the floor (5-of-8 from deep) and 4-of-6 shooting from the charity stripe, passed for 10 assists, pulled down six rebounds, and stole a ball.

L.A.'s Bench Continues to Struggle

Reaves and Russell each enjoyed robust scoring nights, notching 20 and 19 points, respectively. But nobody else even scored in double digits, with Hachimura overall having a patchy go of it — beyond that aforementioned fourth frame stretch (he finished with nine points on 3-of-12 shooting).

The Lakers' reserves failed to make much of a scoring dent. Only Max Christie scored more than four points. Most of his offense came at the foul line. Toronto, even though it was enlisting usual backups Ochai Agbaji and Davion Mitchell in starting roles, still outscored the Lakers off the bench, 24-18.

Los Angeles must realize it's pretty shallow beyond its first five. If the team really wants to compete for anything, that must be remedied.

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