It was all happening on Friday evening because the Toronto Raptors went blow-for-blow with probably the greatest to ever do it.
The Los Angeles Lakers star threw one knockout punch after one other on the Toronto Raptors, however the Raptors took all of them and countered simply as laborious.
The person doing a lot of the injury for Toronto? How about 20-year-old Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes, whose potential has been in comparison with loads of elite NBA gamers in his outstanding first season, however didn’t look misplaced going head-to-head with James for the second time in per week.
Ultimately, it was James who proved he can nonetheless flip a sport on his will when he chooses as he put up 35 factors whereas grabbing 9 rebounds and counting seven assists in main the Lakers to the 128-123 time beyond regulation, snapping the Raptors five-game successful streak within the course of.
However Barnes stood tall. He completed with a career-high 31 factors whereas grabbing 16 rebounds and contributing six assists.
It wasn’t an ideal evening. Barnes had an opportunity to tie the sport however turned the ball over dribbling into site visitors with 15 seconds on the clock. The Raptors have been up one with 51 seconds to play after Pascal Siakam hit one among two free throws, however the Lakers took the lead once more when Avery Bradly hit a 3 with 32 seconds to play.
The Raptors fell to 39-31 and a sport behind Cleveland within the race for sixth place within the East. The Lakers (30-40) snapped an 11-game street dropping streak and received towards the Raptors for the primary time since James joined the staff 4 seasons in the past and simply the second time in 15tries courting again to 2014.
Attending to time beyond regulation was half the enjoyable. A sky-scraping dunk by Barnes and a three-point play a second later helped the Raptors come again from down 4 with 5:21 to play. Barnes then assisted on a triple by Gary Trent Jr. that gave the Raptors the lead.
However James wasn’t having it as he scored consecutive threes as a part of a 16-point fourth quarter that confirmed why he’s removed from performed as a dominant NBA pressure. Barnes was sport – he even pressured James right into a pricey turnover that led to a different three by Trent Jr., gaving the Raptors the lead with 26 seconds to play. Nevertheless it was a buzzer-beating triple by a famous person on his final legs that pressured the additional interval as Russell Westbrook made his fourth three of the evening – this after he was capturing 11 per cent from deep for the reason that All-Star break.
The Raptors hosted the Lakers simply 5 days after trouncing them in Los Angeles as a part of Toronto’s 5-1 street journey. Amazingly the common season is getting near wrapping up – the calendar don’t lie: In three weeks’ time, the Raptors shall be studying in the event that they’re going to be preparing for the play-in event or having just a few days off earlier than beginning a first-round collection because the sixth seed within the Japanese Convention, or possibly even the fifth.
It has been a whirlwind. The Raptors are within the midst of 16 video games in 24 days with 11 begins on the street. Their return to Scotiabank Enviornment was temporary – one sport earlier than heading again out on the street for dates with Philadelphia on Sunday and Chicago Monday.
“A great day to do laundry,” was how Raptors head coach Nick Nurse described the break within the road-heavy schedule.
Not unhealthy to host James both. The Lakers star was making his first go to to Toronto since March 14, 2019.
It was a win-win for anybody within the constructing desperate to catch a glimpse of the 37-year-old famous person who has misplaced no steps in his 19th NBA season.
However win or lose, whether or not dwelling or away, the Raptors have proven that they’re prepared for what could come subsequent as they dot the ‘i’s’ and cross the ‘t’s’ on their sport.
“I all the time prefer to gauge the place we’re, like are we prepared for all the pieces and proper now I really feel like we’re,” mentioned Nurse. “I believe we’re prepared for zones, we’re prepared for blitzes with the guards, we’re prepared for double groups, we’re prepared to alter defences and I believe we’re able to deal with sport plans. … [but] I don’t even know what number of video games we have now left. I simply know we’re enjoying tonight and we’re going to Philly tomorrow. That’s about so far as I can get proper now.”
The one lesson nonetheless to be discovered? Tips on how to cope with a famous person like James when he’s on a mission.
Even enjoying the identical staff in a brief turnaround had a playoff-type really feel to it.
“This most likely falls into the realm of enjoying a staff shut collectively that we simply went by two weeks in the past or 10 days in the past with Brooklyn,” mentioned Nick Nurse. “We went in and had a very emphatic win one evening after which we have been in a nail biter the following so I’m sort of anticipating one thing like that . That’s simply the way in which it’s on this league … I’m hoping we’ll simply exit and execute what we’re presupposed to execute however we’ll see.
Nurse proved prescient.
Any hope that the Raptors would run the Lakers out of Scotiabank Enviornment the way in which they did at Crypto.com Enviornment 5 days earlier than was put to relaxation early on. In that one, the Raptors broke out to a 21-2 lead and have been up 33-12 after the primary quarter which was all of the cushion they wanted whilst Los Angeles received the ultimate three quarters by 10 factors. On that evening Barnes was the Raptors spark plug – scoring 15 factors on 7-of-8 capturing, together with the Raptors’ first six factors.
You would possibly suppose that is laborious to prime, however not for Barnes. He began his night off with a triple in James’ face and went on to attain the Raptors’ first 10 factors, all whereas selecting the Lakers legend up full court docket, maybe sending a message that the way in which James handled him in LA – Barnes was tossed to the ground after which had James throw a ball at him whereas he was mendacity there – wasn’t going to change his strategy.
The distinction was the Raptors wanted all the pieces Barnes may provide. The Lakers, with an 11-game street dropping streak on the go and having 13 of their final 14 to the Raptors, confirmed as much as work on time, a minimum of.
Even with Barnes’ early work the Lakers nonetheless led 15-10. Threes by Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam tied the rating briefly order and one other triple by VanVleet put Toronto up by 5 till a 13-5 Lakers run sparked by Wenyen Gabriel – a 6-foot-9, long-armed undrafted ahead initially from Sudan who’s in some way not a Raptor scored 14 first-quarter factors on 6-of-6 capturing whereas making his second profession begin – placing the guests up 33-30 after 12 minutes.
The Lakers weren’t performed. Particularly, James determined to show issues up after a quiet first quarter. He scored or assisted on 15 of the Lakers’ 26 second-quarter factors because the Lakers pushed their result in 11. However seven fast factors by Achiuwa within the ultimate two minutes of the half trimmed the Lakers edge to a extra encouraging 4 factors and 59-55.
Luckily, Barnes determined to deal with the third quarter the identical manner as he did the primary, within the course of he confirmed the total vary of his burgeoning arsenal. He stole the ball from Corridor-of-Famer to be Dwight Howard and took it the opposite manner for a dunk, wanting again at future Corridor-of-Famer James alongside the way in which. He knocked down a reasonably step-back jumper from 20 toes. He drove the lane and scored a floater after which drove the lane and located Gary Trent Jr. for a wide-open three – all within the first three minutes of the quarter. By the top of the interval the Raptors led 89-88 and Barnes led James in scoring, 24-21.
James received the final giggle and at last walked out of Scotiabank Enviornment as Laker on the fitting finish of the rating. However Barnes and the Raptors confirmed they’re prepared for extra.
Three-point Grange:
• OG Anunoby will possible stay out for a minimum of one other week because the Raptors ahead waits for a fracture within the ring finger on his capturing laborious to heal additional. He’ll be re-evaluated on a week-to-week foundation, Nurse mentioned. He’s been out for the reason that All-Star break.
• Malachi Flynn can be possible out one other week or maybe longer as he recovers from what’s now being described as a hamstring tear after additional analysis. “He feels nice. He doesn’t really feel a lot ache, however we have now to attend till that will get a bit higher too …I believe he’s on the street to a reasonably fast return for certain. We already understand it’s about performed.
• Treasured Achiuwa has performed a number of the finest basketball of his profession for the reason that all-star break, however Nurse opted to stick with Khem Birch as his beginning centre towards the Lakers. “I believe Khem is simply extra of a straight 5 than Treasured,” mentioned Nurse. “So, if there’s a straight 5 on the market that most likely lends itself extra to Khem. If they’re a bit smaller or their fives are a bit extra cell or deal with the ball, that lends itself extra to Treasured.
