NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking Points from Los Angeles Lakers vs Toronto Raptors
The Los Angeles Lakers failed to keep pace with the Toronto Raptors and dropped the first game of a back-to-back by a 111-98 scoreline.
The Lakers showed energy and fight tonight but the Raptors' depth proved too much to handle for them. The Raptors had a 25-33 lead after the first quarter but the match remained a very close one till the 4th quarter when they made their move.
With the win, the Raptors moved to within 2.5 games of the league leaders, Milwaukee Bucks. The Raptors have a 49-20 record and are the second best team in the league.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have almost no shot of getting to the playoffs this year. They have a 31-37 record right now and are 7.5 games behind the 8th and final playoff spot.
Let's have a look at the key talking points from the match:
#1 Bench strength of Raptors
The Raptors have one of the deepest squads in the NBA. Despite the absence of Kyle Lowry in this match, the roster wasn't affected.
The Raptors got 43 points from the bench in this match in a dominant display. The Lakers are already pretty shorthanded right now and playing against one of the deepest rosters in the NBA didn't help.
Norman Powell had a great game for the Raptors. He scored 20 points and grabbed 8 rebounds coming off the bench. He also shot 7-14 from the field and 3-6 from the 3PT line. Anunoby, McCaw and Miller all played a crucial role in this game as well.
Kawhi Leonard top scored for the team. He finished with 25 points on 5-8 shooting from the 3PT line. It will be interesting to see what the upcoming Free Agency has in store for Leonard.