Luka Doncic made history twice in one night, and the Los Angeles Lakers needed every bit of it. Doncic scored 45 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as the Lakers held off the Toronto Raptors 131-125 on Sunday night at Crypto.com Arena, bouncing back from blowing a 25-point lead in Friday’s road loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Doncic finished 12-for-23 from the field, 8-for-12 from three-point range and a perfect 13-for-13 at the free-throw line, adding six assists, five steals and one block in 35 minutes. It was his fourth consecutive game with at least 35 points, and his second double-double of the season.
The first half was the history-making part. Doncic had 24 points, eight rebounds, four assists and a career-high five steals — four of them in the first quarter — before halftime. He became the first player in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98) with at least 20 points, five rebounds, five three-pointers and five steals in a half, and the first point guard in NBA history with five steals and five three-pointers in a half.
He also became the first player in league history to record at least 45 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, five steals and five three-pointers made in a single game. “Luka doesn’t get enough credit for his defense,” Lakers center Walker Kessler said. “He’s a very high IQ individual when it comes to being on the court, so his positional defense, just being in the right spots at the right time, is really good and it showed tonight.”
The Lakers led by as many as 26 points early in the third quarter and still nearly let it slip. Toronto outscored Los Angeles 43-27 in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to five before the Lakers steadied themselves. Austin Reaves added 19 points, Walker Kessler had 16 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks, and Collin Sexton scored 14 off the bench. The Lakers shot 53.8% from the field and 48.6% from three, but committed 24 turnovers while improving to 5-2 overall and 3-1 at home.
Scottie Barnes led Toronto with 29 points, RJ Barrett added 22 points and 10 rebounds, Jamison Battle scored 20 and Immanuel Quickley had 12 as the Raptors fell to 1-3 since Kawhi Leonard sustained a knee injury. Toronto was playing the opener of a four-game road trip. The Lakers host the Miami Heat on Monday night, the second game of a back-to-back, and it remains unclear whether Doncic will play. “I got to get rest, a cold tub, a massage, and rest and see you tomorrow,” Doncic told Spectrum SportsNet after the game.
Photo: BZFilms / @bzfilms83
Source: Reuters, November 2, 2026; USA TODAY, November 1, 2026
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