The Raptors’ road trip begins with an LA double feature against the Lakers and the Clippers, starting with the boys in the gold and purple this Sunday, November 1st.
This will be Toronto’s first look at either of the Los Angeles teams this season, with both organizations boasting former Raptors under contract — on the Lakers, the beloved Georgian forward Sandro Mamukelashvili, and on the Clippers, former All-Star Brandon Ingram. While Ingram is unfortunately still facing injuries that are keeping
him off the court, Mamu will be there to greet his old teammates in full force; this time, looking to topple the red and black.
Walking into Crypto.com Arena means not only saying hello to old friendly faces, but staring into the face of some serious adversaries, no one more prominent among them than Luka Dončić. Dončić has won four of his last five contests against the Raptors, and remains a part of a team that has an even more prominent winning streak against Toronto: the Raptors haven’t won against the Lakers since December of 2022, and will be going into this matchup looking to end this longstanding history.
In many respects, the Toronto Raptors have matured this year, even beyond the acquisition of Kawhi Leonard. The Raptors are neither a “young” team nor an “old” team at this point. Scottie Barnes is 25 years old, RJ Barrett is 26, and Immanuel Quickley is 27. But beyond age, the Raps are playing with a maturity unlike anything they’ve displayed in previous years, most prominently among them Scottie Barnes.
Still early in the season, Barnes has demonstrated that his offensive game has developed exponentially over the offseason, and since the 2026 playoffs, he has looked able to shoulder a massive two-way load, defending, facilitating, and creating his own looks. His midrange game has looked to be on-par with the greats this season, something all the more important when facing off against a team with a premiere centre. With Kawhi Leonard still out, Scottie and his teammates have stepped up to fill the void left by his phantom scoring and clamping defence, and will need every bit of paint-pounding bucket-getting and hard nosed D against the Lakers.
With a record of 4-2 on the season, the Lakers are off a three game winning streak and are equipped with weapons the Toronto Raptors will be hard-pressed to manage. Walker Kessler at 7’2” is a nightmare matchup for the Raptors, clogging the paint for RJ and Scottie, that Jakob Poeltl will need to step up in a big way for on the defensive end. Kessler can score and rebound, but is swatting shots at a disgusting rate, with 17 blocks in five games, including a 9 stock performance that made the Lakers look like they got more than their money’s worth for the big man.
Poeltl, who had a double double in a comeback game against Orlando, will likely split minutes at centre with Collin Murray-Boyles and Trayce Jackson-Davis, but as the Raptors’ starter, getting in the paint and banging with the other team’s seven-footer is going to be his primary responsibility. Yak has a chance tonight to continue his path back to the up-and-up, and the success of tonight’s game will rest in large part on his shoulders.
Containing Luka Magic and Austin Reaves is no easy feat either, but one which the Raptors are moderately more equipped to do. Scottie will likely take the Dončić assignment himself, as he matches up with with the big man’s stature and abilities the best, but to see how Ja’Kobe Walter handles Austin Reaves will be of interest as well, with the young guard suddenly thrust into the starting lineup.
Throughout the season, Barnes and Barrett have both shown that they’re capable of taking over offensively when necessary, and tonight will be a game where they will likely have to do just that. Surviving these rough matchups without Kawhi is the name of the game when making him a big part of the team, and tonight will be a chance for the Raptors to further distance themselves from the collapse in Minnesota against another top-5 guard in the league.
