Toronto Raptors 101-92 LA Lakers

Toronto Raptors, with a notable Serge Ibaka, added their fifth straight victory over the Los Angeles Lakers (92-101) after trailing 17 points to the Californians at the Staples Center, where Lonzo Ball scored a bad performance on his birthday.

Ibaka signed 18 points and 8 rebounds in 34 minutes, while teammate DeMar DeRozan led his team with 24 points. The best of the Lakers was Julius Randle with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in 24 minutes. Rookie Lonzo Ball, who was 20 today, scored 5 points (2/7 in the shot), 7 rebounds and 6 assists in 32 minutes.

The two teams came out determined to capitalize on their offensive potential near the rim. If Ibaka scored eight of his team's first 11 points with a perfect execution of the block and continuation and one-on-one, Californians did the same by scoring their first 12 goals in the paint, with Brook López as the star. The Canadians, with their second unit on track and Lowry and DeRozan disappeared in combat, began to sink in a very low percentage of shooting, which precipitated the first comfortable advantages for the Angels (31-19, 47-30) with a great deployment by Julius Randle and Kyle Kuzma.

However, Dwane Casey set the stakes in defense and reacted to the Californian abuse to reduce the gap to six points shortly before the break (48-42).

The Lakers were starting to take a turn for the turnovers (11) and their error from the perimeter (1/9), so much so that the Raptors, with an unstoppable Pascal Siakam, turned the game in the third quarter (56 -57). Toronto began to play more as a team, always looking for the extra pass and the corners with the open man. Luke Walton's young men, without a clear leader on the track, then pulled their ability to suffer and extract the best of themselves when the situation requires it. Randle in particular, every heart and hand, sometimes without control, claimed the gallons and pulled the car before a refined DeRozan, who put eight on top of his (83-91) with a lack of 3:42 for the final. By then, the record from the triple for the locals was 3/19 (they finished 3/23), a hole too deep so that his rival did not take advantage of it. In the final moments - without Ball on the track - Ibaka's temper from the staff and the greater experience of the Raptors were decisive.