They had not had two victories in a row for a month and the NBA Tournament. After their short success against the Clippers, the Lakers managed to win by the smallest of margins against the Raptors (132-131).
This victory bears the mark of an omnipresent Anthony Davis, especially in the fourth quarter of a game that was indecisive until the end, fueled as it should be by LeBron James as the distributor in chief. If the two men did most of the work, they were supported by five other players with 11 points or more.
Mark equally well distributed on the Raptors side, with four holders at 21 points or more, and three other elements at 10 points. If Toronto had no trouble scoring, particularly in the paint where they scored 20 more points (70 to 50), they did not manage to find a solution against the “pick-and-roll” at the end of a meeting involving Anthony Davis.
“AD” is everywhere
Hit in the ankle, Jakob Poeltl would undoubtedly have done well to fight underneath. In his absence, Darko Rajakovic had to bring out the “old” Thaddeus Young from the depths of his bench, who was not unworthy.
With the two teams being so close in score – the gap was never more than eight points – taking a two possession lead in the fourth quarter was a harbinger of good things. What the Lakers did two and a half minutes from the end, on a three-point action from “AD”, served by James (117-112). But Pascal Siakam, RJ Barrett and the hot shooter at the end of the match, Gary Trent Jr, gave Toronto the advantage back a minute later (120-121).
Anthony Davis then responded directly under the circle, then countered Scottie Barnes, before continuing on the free throw line where he never trembled. A huge outing for the interior who had not yet exceeded the 40 point mark this season (40 points overall against the Celtics). For the honor, Pascal Siakam converted a 3-point shot at the buzzer.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– 40 points each in the fourth. At the break, the two teams were not riding on strong offensive tendencies (51-53). The third quarter was much more open (37-36), before real fireworks in the final period. A basket on one side, then an instant response on the other… The two teams continued to respond to each other until they scored more than 40 points each in the period. The slightest “stop” or error could make the difference. This was the case with 24 seconds remaining when RJ Barrett was called for an offensive foul on a moving screen in front of Davis. The Canadian had just passed the ball to Scottie Barnes whose 3-point basket, converted but invalidated, was synonymous with the equalizer…
– The Lakers in balance. Californians will not have remained negative for long. After experiencing four defeats in a row, and more broadly nine defeats in eleven matches, they returned to 50% victories (19v-19d) with this success. An important victory as the Jazz come back strong and threaten to steal from the Lakers their 10th place in the West. Next Thursday, they host the other team virtually qualified for the “play-in”, the Suns. The Raptors (15v-22d) remain on the doorstep of this “play-in”, one victory from the Nets.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
