NBA Scores: Doncic Drops 45 as the Lakers Hold Off Toronto 131-125, Celtics Win Their Fifth Straight
Sunday night's board belonged to Luka Doncic — 45 points and 15 rebounds in a 131-125 Lakers win over Toronto that got tense late. Boston won its fifth straight, Golden State won without its stars, and Brooklyn finally won a game.
Luka Doncic scored 45 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers finished off a 131-125 victory over the visiting Toronto Raptors on Sunday night, according to the Reuters roundup read by the desk. Austin Reaves added 19 points as Los Angeles bounced back from blowing a 25-point lead in a road loss to Golden State on Friday. The Lakers led by as many as 26 points on Sunday before surviving a late Toronto rally, shot 53.8 percent from the floor and 48.6 percent from three-point range, and improved to 3-1 at home despite committing 24 turnovers. For Toronto, the loss came in the opener of a four-game road trip, played while the Raptors are 1-3 since Kawhi Leonard sustained a knee injury.
The East's form team kept rolling. Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 32 points to help visiting Boston defeat Orlando 108-97 and extend its winning streak to five games. In San Francisco, Golden State rested Stephen Curry and Draymond Green and still beat the Los Angeles Clippers 124-112 — rookie Yaxel Lendeborg drained six three-pointers on his way to a career-high 37 points in the Warriors' fourth consecutive win; Curry and Green are expected to return when Golden State hosts the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.
The night's other final carried a first. Michael Porter Jr. scored 23 points to help Brooklyn notch its first win of the season, 98-90 over the Pacers in Indianapolis, after the Nets opened 0-5. Nolan Traore scored 16 for Brooklyn. Four finals, four storylines — a scoring race leader going for 45, a five-game win streak, a rookie's career night, and a winless team off the mark — and the board resets Monday, when the Lakers host Miami and Toronto visits the Clippers.
