Lowry nets 33 as Raptors cruise past LA Lakers
KYLE LOWRY had 33 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, leading the Toronto Raptors to a 107-92 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday at The Arena near Orlando.
Lowry hit five of nine 3-pointers and eigth of 16 shots from the floor. OG Anunoby had 23 points, making eight of nine shots, and Pascal Siakam contributed 15 points and nine rebounds for the Raptors. Fred VanVleet had 13 points and 11 assists.
LeBron James led the Lakers with 20 points and 10 boards. Kyle Kuzma chipped in 16 points but Anthony Davis managed 14 points on two-of-seven shooting. Dion Waiters added 12 points, while Alex Caruso finished with 11.
The Raptors beat the Lakers for the 11th consecutive time. They haven’t lost to Los Angeles since Nov. 30, 2014.
Toronto (47-18) used a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter for 93-83 lead after a dunk by Anunoby and a 3-pointer by VanVleet with 4:52 left. Los Angeles (50-15) sliced the margin to seven before Toronto pulled away.
The Raptors opened the third quarter on a 22-6 surge for a 63-50 advantage after a bucket by Lowry at 4:36. The Lakers cut the gap to six on two occasions but a 3-pointer by VanVleet put the Raptors up 70-61 with 1:51 remaining in the third.
A 9-2 run sparked by Kuzma’s 3-pointer and a basket inside by James pulled the Lakers within 72-70 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Lakers trailed by as much as 13 in the first half before rallying for a 44-41 lead at the break. Both clubs struggled offensively in the first half. Los Angeles shot 39% to 35.7% for Toronto from the floor. The Lakers managed 4 of 18 on 3-point attempts compared to 5 of 19 for the Raptors in the first half.
Overall, the Raptors converted 42% of their shots to 35.8% for the Lakers. Toronto made 14 of 34 3-pointers, while Los Angeles hit 25.6%.
PACERS RALLY TO DEFEAT 76ERS
T.J. Warren scored a career-high 53 points to lead the Indiana Pacers past the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 127-121 on Saturday near Orlando.
Warren was 20-of-29 from the field, including 9-of-12 from beyond the 3-point arc. Warren’s previous career-high was 40.
Aaron Holiday had 15 points and 10 assists and Victor Oladipo added 15 points for the Pacers, who improved to 40-26 despite playing without key injured players such as Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon.
Oladipo had missed the previous 52 games with knee and quad issues.
Joel Embiid was spectacular for the Sixers (39-27) with 41 points, 21 rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots. It was his fourth game this season with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds. Tobias Harris scored 30 points and Ben Simmons added 19 points and 13 rebounds.
The Pacers overcame an early eight-point deficit and raced to a 35-29 lead at the end of the first quarter. — Reuters
