This game was brutal to watch. The Raptors take the 2-0 sweep of the Lakers in a dominating 92-107 win.
How the tide has changed. LeBron has owned the Raptors in the East. Since joining the Lakers out West, Toronto is now 4-0 against a LeBron-led team. LeBron James lead the team with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Better output, but it didn't have that much impact on the game. The other only positive here was the production from the bench. The Lakers dug themselves a big 13-0 hole. As soon as Kyle Kuzma and Alex Caruso subbed in, the offense got some spark to cut it to a 23-21 lead at the end of one. Kuz lead the bench in scoring with 16 points. Dion Waiters and Caruso followed with 12 points and 11 points respectively.
As for the negatives. The slow start at the game was a harbinger of many things to come that went wrong for the Lakers. Anthony Davis was held to 14 points after dropping 34 points in the opener against the Clippers. Danny Green had 7 field goal attempts and he missed all of them. Lakers paid $30 million for a streaky 3&D shooter. Turnovers at crucial times were prevalent. If there's any evidence that Avery Bradley's defense is missed, Kyle Lowry dropped 33 points and 14 rebounds. Lakers back court had no answer for him. Outside of Pascal Siakam, Toronto may have another star in development with OG Anunoby. He showed out big with 23 points from 8-9 shooting.
Overall, I gotta tip my hat to the Raptors on this one. They played well.. They clamped down on the Lakers with their swarming defense tonight. All this talk about Milwaukee and the two LA teams, we can't forget that the Raptors are the defending champions until they're dethroned. They could very well be the 2004 Detroit Pistons all over again. They don't have stars, but they're a scrappy, physical team with a lot of heart. That's the epitome of a championship team right there.
As for the Lakers, if I'm Frank Vogel, there's gotta be some lineup changes after this debacle. KCP has been ineffective as a starter, but plays better off the bench. I would consider plugging Caruso in the starting lineup since he plays well with LeBron and is a better defender. Danny Green is a conundrum because J.R. Smith just got here. I'd keep Waiters on the 2nd unit. But, Frank Vogel has gotta switch things up with the rotation. Forget this loss and lock on to the Utah Jazz for Monday. I'll see you guys later.
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