The Toronto Raptors are starting their road trip on the wrong end of a 131-125 result against the Los Angeles Lakers inside Crypto.com Arena.
The Raptors were behind for most of the night, but they clawed their way back, even with the bench warmers, and cut it to within five points with less than a minute to go. Ultimately, the Lakers pulled away and handed the Raptors their third loss of the season.
Here’s a look at three instant takeaways from the matchup:
No Jakob Poeltl Causes Problems
Jakob Poeltl was ruled out for the game just prior to tip-off due to bursitis in his shoulder. With Poeltl out, the team started Trayce Jackson-Davis, who only played 9 minutes and scored 5 points. The team struggled with the size discrepancy throughout the game, and it was clear that the team needed a true centre.
It remains to be seen how long Poeltl will be on the sidelines, but the Raptors will have to figure out a solution at some point.
No Answer for Luka Doncic
Luka Doncic is off to a feverish start for the Lakers this season, and that continued in the game against the Raptors. He scored 45 points on 12 of 23 from the field, including 8 of 12 from downtown. He made all 13 of his free throws and grabbed a team-high 15 rebounds.
Keeping Doncic at bay is a very difficult task for any team, but letting him go off at that level makes it very difficult for any team to win.
Forcing 22 Turnovers
It was not all doom and gloom for the Raptors, especially when it came to the defensive end. Of course, 131 points is a lot to give up in one game, but they had extremely active hands, forcing 14 steals and 22 turnovers.
Unfortunately, the Raptors were not able to capitalize on that more, but the fact that they were able to force so many turnovers was a positive sign for what’s to come.
The Raptors will return to the court tomorrow night as they take on the Los Angeles Clippers at the Intuit Dome in Englewood. Tip-off is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET. Fans can watch the game on TSN or stream it on the TSN Plus app.
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