Raptors make short work of Lakers
Ibaka excels at both ends of the floor as Toronto coasts to victory, improving record to 9-1
LOS ANGELES — It sounds easy protecting a 31-point lead. But what’s tough to overcome is the feeling the game is over.
In a game in which the Raptors were without Kawhi Leonard for the third time this season and got out to a 31-point lead on the host Lakers early in the proceedings, taking their foot off the gas was a definite concern in what ended up being a 121-107 win, their ninth win in 10 starts.
To the Raptors credit, that never happened for any significant length of time.
The Lakers managed to get the deficit down to 17 at one point in the third and then all the way down to 10 in the fourth forcing Raptors’ head coach Nick Nurse to bring his starters back but that was as close as they would get.
Fittingly it was Kyle Lowry who ended the threat first by drawing an offensive charge on Kyle Kuzma and then getting into the paint and setting up Pascal Siakam with his 15th assist of the night.
For most of the night, the Lakers looked every bit the team on the back-end of a back-to-back having won in Portland on Saturday night while the Raptors were cooling their collective heels in the City of Angels waiting for them to return.
Led by Serge Ibaka who didn’t miss a shot until his 15th of the night late in the third, the Raptors were in full control of this one from the opening tip. Yes Los Angeles scored the first basket and actually had two leads, the second with 1:03 gone in the game. But soon after, they would fall behind and never catch up.
Ibaka wound up with a career best 34 on the night on 15-of-16 shooting. Siakam added 16 for the winners. Kuzma led the Lakers with 24 points while LeBron James added 18 more.
If that doesn’t impress Raptors fans then certainly Lowry’s line — 21 points, 15 assists and six rebounds — will earn plenty of accolades.
Leonard sat out with a sore left foot that he injured late in the win over Phoenix on Friday.Itwastoughtosayhewas missed.
As good as Ibaka was on the offensive end, he was almost as good defensively. He finished the night a plus-30 and was a huge deterrent at the rim all night.
The Raptors will have no time to rest heading straight to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Jazz Monday night.
Meanwhile in Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo had his second triple-double of the season with 26 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists to help the Bucks rout the Sacramento Kings 144-109 on Sunday.
“A great win for the team,” Antetokounmpo said, deflecting any sense of personal satisfaction. “When I drove the ball, they were wide open. I passed it, and they knocked down everything.”
The Bucks improved to 8-1 — the best nine-game start in franchise history. They set a season high for points in a game and also set the franchise record for 3s made with 22.