Austin Reaves scored 44 points, and Rui Hachimura hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Toronto Raptors 123-120 on Thursday.
Reaves had 11 assists and five rebounds for the Lakers (16-5), who were without superstar point guard Luka Doncic, who didn’t travel to Toronto with the Lakers for personal reasons.
LeBron James’ NBA-record streak of 1,297 consecutive double-digit scoring games in the regular season came to an end Thursday night. James was held to just eight points in 35 minutes of action, going 4 for 17 from the field and missing all five three-point attempts. The last time he scored fewer than 10 points in a game was January 5, 2007.
Afterward, he was asked what thoughts he had about the streak ending.
“None,” James said. “We won.”
James could have tried to win the game — and extend the streak — on the final possession, but he instead passed to Hachimura in the left corner. Hachimura connected, and James threw his hands in the air in celebration.
“Just playing the game the right way. You always make the right play,” James said. “That’s just been my M.O. That’s how I was taught the game. I’ve done that my whole career.”
Scottie Barnes had a double-double for the Raptors (15-8) with 23 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. Brandon Ingram had 20 points despite going 0-for-6 from three-point range for Toronto, who had seven players reach double digits in scoring.
Ja’Kobe Walter had a season-high 17 points, starting for RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., who is out with a sprained right knee.
Jakob Poeltl, who is usually the Raptors’ starting centre, sat out the game to rest his lower back. He has missed one half of every back-to-back so far this season to avoid injuring himself.
Takeaways
Lakers: Reaves stepped up with Doncic unavailable, especially in the third quarter. He had 22 points in that period alone, outscoring all Raptors players for the entire game — except Barnes — in that 12-minute span.
Raptors: Toronto looked sloppy at times, with nine turnovers in the first half alone. The Raptors tightened up their play in the third quarter, however, erasing L.A.’s 13-point lead and winning the period 40-33 despite Reaves’s outburst.
Key moment
Hachimura drilled a 24-foot three-pointer as time expired to win the game. The shot had to be reviewed to make sure he got it off before the buzzer sounded.
Up next
Toronto: Hosts the Charlotte Hornets (6-16) on Friday.
