Luka Doncic drops 45 on Raptors without Jakob Poeltl

The Raptors lost their big man before the ball went up. Poeltl was announced as a starter, then pulled with a sore left shoulder, and Trayce Jackson-Davis took his spot.

Josh Lewenberg

@JLew1050

Wonder if the Raptors are just being extra cautious with Poeltl, being that this is the first half of a back-to-back; we'll see what his status is for tomorrow's game vs the Clippers. In the meantime, Darko opts to keep his rotation intact, with TJD starting and CMB off the bench

Being careful on the first night of a back-to-back makes sense. The trouble is what it left on the floor. Toronto had nobody to protect the rim against a team that lives on lobs, and the Lakers figured that out fast. They also had Luka, and Luka was in one of those moods.

By halftime the game looked like a highlight package. Doncic was 6-for-7 from 3, he had already picked 5 pockets, and the Lakers were running Toronto off the floor in transition. The Raptors were lucky to only be down 12.

Law Murray 🎮

@LawMurrayTheNU

Los Angeles leads Raptors 66-54 at halftime Luka Doncic: 24 points, 7/12 FGs, 8 rebounds, FIVE STEALS, 1 block, 6/7 3s, 4/4 FTs Lakers outscoring Raptors 20-8 on fast break. The steal or bust defense of Los Angeles has ten steals already

The other half of the no-Poeltl problem was Walker Kessler. Kessler has always feasted on Toronto, and without a real center to bang with him, every miss and every lob turned into another dunk for him. Even with Kessler's touches being mostly finishes at the rim, the career numbers against this franchise are ridiculous.

Josh Lewenberg

@JLew1050

Walker Kessler has taken 48 shots in 6 career games vs the Raptors. He's made 40 of them (83%). Granted, they're mostly lobs and tip-ins, but that's insane efficiency (and speaks to Toronto's lack of size/rim protection over the years).

Toronto kept it within shouting distance in the second half, and things got chippy, with Scottie Barnes and Doncic jawing at each other. But every time the Raptors got close, Luka had an answer. He finished 13-for-13 at the line and 8-for-12 from deep, and he ended the night with a line that sent the stat nerds digging.

Dave McMenamin

@mcten

Luka Doncic is the first player with 5 steals and 3 charges drawn in the same game since player tracking began in 2013-14 (per @StatsWilliams). He added 45 pts, 15 reb and 6 ast in the Lakers' 131-125 win over Toronto to improve to 5-2.

The Lakers are now 5-2, and the Raptors drop to 3-3. The 6-point final margin flatters them. The bigger question is Monday's game against the Clippers, the second night of the back-to-back. If Poeltl's shoulder keeps him out again, Toronto heads into another night with no size inside, and there's no reason to think the Clippers won't attack the rim the same way the Lakers did.