LOS ANGELES, November 4, 2026 – The Lakers took their starters out of the game with 1:43 left on the clock with a 16-point lead, and 40 seconds later, the advantage was down to five points.
The Raptors’ bench scored 11 points in that short amount of time and cut it to 125-120, thus forcing Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Walker Kessler back into the game. That turned out to be a nervous finish after all, despite the game being rather easy on a Sunday night for the Lakers, who had already lost the game against Golden State earlier this week, 112-95, while their lead had been up to 26 points in the box score.
So who got them there? Mostly Luka Doncic, who recorded 45 points, a season-high 15 rebounds, six assists, and five steals. This is his third 40+ points game in four games now, and he leads the league with 37.7 points per game, per ESPN’s reporting.
Here’s the twist, though. The headline wasn’t his scoring.
Doncic forced eight turnovers, got five steals, and took three charges, something that ESPN Research says hasn’t been done by any other player since tracking started in 2013-14. On hearing from his teammates that they praised his defense after the game, he just smiled and said, “Finally.” He also admitted that he didn’t take charges while he was in Dallas, but now does so in LA. Head coach JJ Redick considered taking a charge as an act of leadership.
Kessler, who was brought in offseason to improve the defense that ranked 20th in the league last year, backed Doncic on the court. The center scored 16 points, going 6-for-6 and collecting 15 rebounds. Reaves scored 19 points and Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 11 points from the bench against his old club.
The Lakers shot nearly 54 percent and hit 18 threes.
The Toronto team, on the other hand, made only 43 percent but managed to stick around through perseverance on the boards. The Raptors recorded 22 offensive boards to earn 37 second-chance points against the Lakers’ 18. Scottie Barnes was top scorer from the Raptors’ side with 29 points. RJ Barrett added 22 points along with 10 rebounds. The Raptors beat the Lakers 43-27 in the fourth quarter alone. It gives an idea of how tough the final quarter was. Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic didn’t shy away from stating the obvious; Doncic is in good health and unstoppable in such a condition.
Now, a fair question: Is this defensive jump legitimate, or are we talking about a very hot week? Doncic says it is legitimate. It’s still early to say; there aren’t too many games to evaluate it, and many skeptics will need more proof. However, any player who dares to take a charge under the basket in the first week of November makes a statement.
Moving onto the 125-120 close call. The Lakers got complacent, the reserves relaxed, and the starters had to tighten things up. It is a win, but the final minute is likely the one that Redick would want to show his team in the video first.
