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Scottie Barnes Doesn't Back Down From LeBron James as Raptors Roll Past Lakers

The Toronto Raptors watched Scottie Barnes go right at LeBron James in a blowout victory over the Los Angeles Lakers

Aaron Rose

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Raptors are afraid of no one.

This daunting West Coast road trip that was supposed to spell doom for Toronto has shown just how special this Raptors team truly is. They'll step up and take on anyone be it the Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, or LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers who the Raptors knocked off 114-103 on Monday night to clinch their fourth victory of the trip.

1. LeBronto is No More

If James hadn't tormented Toronto for so long, Monday night's game may have been a little sad. 

At one point in the first quarter, the 37-year-old picked up his dribble, took two powerful steps toward the bucket, splitting a trio of Raptors defenders, but when he took off to throw down one of his legendary one-handed slams, there was nothing there. He came up short, missing the layup at the rim. A quarter later, he dribbled the ball off his knee, allowing the Raptors to connect on an alley-oop slam that Precious Achiuwa flushed to quell the Lakers' first-half run.

James isn't done yet. It was just two games ago that he dropped 50 points on the Washington Wizards. But he and this Lakers team aren't the same. Sure, he put some scare into the Raptors late as Los Angeles cut Toronto's 28-point lead down to just nine, but he didn't have that otherwordly power he used to bury the Raptors with. Whether it was the double teams Toronto sent his way or the second night of a back-to-back for the Lakers or just Father Time catching up to maybe the greatest of all time, his 30 points just didn't quite feel the same as they once did.

Instead, the Raptors are now 6-0 since James joined the Lakers, all under head coach Nick Nurse.

"Well, I’ve got about 20 more to get back to .500 in my total coaching career," Nurse joked post-game.

2. Barnes Unafraid of the Spotlight

Maybe the most telling moment of the night came midway through the first quarter when Scottie Barnes caught a pass at the left elbow with James lurking just in front of him. It was just a few years ago that you wouldn't dare go at James, the former five-time All-Defensive first-teamer. But Barnes was unafraid. He sized up James and went right at him, dribbling inside to the short mid-range, and rising up for a floater with James draped all over him.

Normally it takes some time for Barnes to ease his way into games. He does his most damage on average in the second and third quarters, feeling out the game before figuring out how to attack opposing teams. But that was not the case on Monday.

Barnes showed off that aggression right from the jump. He took the ball deep into the paint on the opening possession before finding Gary Trent Jr. in the corner. When Trent missed the three, Barnes was there with the putback. Moments later, he came right back down and took it himself, with a turnaround hook shot.

"He played like he's been playing, you know what I mean? He's taken it in there and being assertive," Nurse said. "He's been playing through the hits and playing more physical, especially for his age. He's playing about as physical as anybody for us. That to me is what I like really liked to see."

The 20-year-old rookie' 15 first-quarter points single-handedly outscored the Lakers who were outscored 33 to 12 before the first break.

Barnes probably won't win the Rookie of the Year this season. Even as he put up 21 points on the Lakers, Evan Mobley was in Cleveland dropping 30 on the Los Angeles Clippers. Yet Barnes' ability to shine brightest on the biggest stages and his willingness to step up against any challenge is going to earn him plenty of recognition down the road. 

Achiuwa Has Locked Down Center Spot

Nurse wouldn't come out and say it, but it appears Precious Achiuwa has locked down the starting center spot over Khem Birch. Nurse said he might change his starting lineup from night to night based on the opponent, but he's said it before and never actually done it. With how well Achiuwa has played this season and with things working right now, there's no reason to flip flop the centers again.

"[James is] bringing the ball up the floor. Precious has got pretty good feet. He can prevent him from running into the post really deep and getting it down there deep with some body," Nurse said of the decision to start Achiuwa. "I thought he did good."

Lowlight of the Night

This seemed rather unnecessary.

Up Next: Los Angeles Clippers

The Raptors will have the day off before taking on the Clippers at 10:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday night to wrap up the West Coast road trip.

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Aaron Rose
AARON ROSE

Aaron Rose is a Toronto-based reporter covering the Toronto Raptors since 2020.

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