LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic had 25 points and seven assists, LeBron James added 24 points and seven assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers returned to form with a 110-93 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night.
Deandre Ayton had 25 points and 13 rebounds in his impressive return from a knee injury for the Lakers, who won for just the second time in seven games while playing their final home game before an eight-game, 15-day road trip.
Ayton
had his highest-scoring performance since Nov. 3 while making all 10 of his shots.
Doncic also returned with a strong performance after missing Saturday’s loss at Portland to rest his nagging injuries, hitting five 3-pointers.
James played in back-to-back games for the second time this season — and the second time this week, capably completing a set of five games in seven days for the 41-year-old superstar who had previously been resting for one game in back-to-back sets.
Scottie Barnes had 22 points and nine rebounds for the Raptors, who have lost back-to-back games for the first time in four weeks after the Clippers beat them in Toronto on Friday. Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 20 points and former Lakers draft pick Brandon Ingram added 19 points and seven assists for Toronto, which faded in the fourth quarter in the opener of a five-game road trip.
Neither team managed a double-digit lead until the Lakers surged ahead 91-80 on back-to-back buckets by James to begin the fourth quarter. Los Angeles took control shortly afterward with nine straight points while holding Toronto scoreless for 3 1/2 minutes.
Doncic got his 12th technical foul of the season in the first half for arguing. That's the second-most in the NBA, trailing only Phoenix's Dillon Brooks.
Raptors: At Golden State on Tuesday night.
Lakers: At Denver on Tuesday night.
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