The Los Angeles Lakers dominated the Toronto Raptors 131-125 behind a 45-point double-double from Luka Doncic. Number 77 has been outstanding to start this season, but his team was coming off a nightmare performance. The Lakers raced out to a 25-point lead against the Warriors only to lose 112-95 in the NBA Cup opener. Luka had 37 points, but the purple and gold struggled against blitzes and had 20 turnovers. They couldn’t wait to play again, and Doncic made sure the Lakers got back on track.
The Don had 16 points and four steals in the first quarter to put Los Angeles up by 14. They weren’t losing it this time. Doncic drew three charges and made some history on Sunday night. The Lakers cruised to a win on their home floor against an Eastern Conference contender thanks to Luka.
Doncic finished with 45 points, 15 rebounds, six assists, five steals, and one block in 35 minutes against the Raptors. He made eight 3-pointers as the Lakers outscored Toronto by 27 with Luka on the floor. It was his bobblehead night to add to the excitement, but Luka wasn’t going to stand for the disappointing performance on Friday night. He had to make a statement versus Toronto, and the entire league got the message.
Luka Doncic always performs when the lights are brightest
Fans know that Doncic goes off when the opposition starts talking trash, but the superstar didn’t need that. The Warriors gave number 77 all the motivation he needed. LA struggled when Golden State put two on the ball and couldn’t get the offense rolling after the first 12 minutes. The Lakers were going to keep seeing blitzes and being forced to scramble if Doncic didn’t make a statement.
Luka has his 3-point shot locked in to start this season. When he’s making his long-range shots, the Lakers are difficult to defeat. Los Angeles scored 104 points in three quarters against the Raptors. Toronto didn’t have Kawhi Leonard or Jakob Poeltl, but they are still a stout defense. It didn’t matter. Nobody was stopping a motivated Doncic.
The Lakers were last in rebounds per game coming in, so Doncic responded. He grabbed 15 boards and made sure LA was competitive on the glass in this win.
Luka led the Mavericks to the conference finals in 2022 and the NBA Finals in 2024 when nobody expected Dallas to be there. The Don always shows up in the biggest moment. Those include when his team needs to bounce back from a disastrous performance.
Luka Doncic is on pace to lead the league in scoring again
Doncic has led the NBA in two of the last three seasons, but he appears to be taking it to another level this season. The 28-year-old is taking more threes and shooting a career-high 43,2 percent. He is averaging 37.6 points per game, which is well above his 33.5, which was the top mark last season.
Luka looks unstoppable with this new-look roster. They built the squad to maximize him. The Lakers gave up two first-round draft picks and two swaps to trade for Walker Kessler because Doncic wanted a rim-rolling center capable of protecting the rim. They put youth, shooting, and athleticism around him. LA has nine new players, and this roster is perfect for the superstar.
Lakers still need to figure things out when Luka Doncic is on the bench
Luka has been unstoppable to start this season, but the Lakers have struggled without him. They outscored Toronto by 27 with Doncic in the game and lost his minutes on the bench even before the garbage time struggles that forced him back into the game for the final seconds. The Lakers have a negative-11.7 net rating without Luka coming into Sunday’s game. They need to be better without their superstar.
Austin Reaves has to be better. He has 19 turnovers in the last three games. The offense stalled on Friday night with AR in the game, which encouraged the Warriors to try to get the ball out of Luka’s hands. Reaves is an elite scorer, but he needs to be better when he is the alpha on the floor.
Luka Doncic wasn’t going to let the Lakers lose. The Raptors were down 22 to start the fourth quarter. They made a furious comeback when number 77 went to the bench, but Luka shut the door. That is also exactly what superstars do.
The Los Angeles Lakers got a bounce-back win over the Toronto Raptors behind a monster performance from Luka Doncic. He showed up and proved he is in the running for the best player on the planet. Doncic is leading the NBA in scoring again and should be among the early MVP favorites. He stated his case again and made sure the Lakers got a win.
Doubt Doncic at your own risk. He always shows up in the biggest moments and is never going to let his team stay down after a disastrous night. The Lakers got another superstar and are back in contention. They can thank Luka for that. He gives them a chance in every game and this new-look roster will only get better from here.
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