NBA: Luka Doncic erupts for 45 points as Lakers defeat Raptors

Luka Doncic scored 45 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, Austin Reaves added 19 points, and the Los Angeles Lakers finished off a 131-125 victory over the visiting Toronto Raptors on Sunday.

Walker Kessler scored 16 points with 15 rebounds and three blocked shots, while Collin Sexton added 14 points as the Lakers bounced back from blowing a 25-point lead in a road loss to the Golden State Warriors on Friday. Los Angeles led by as many as 26 points Sunday before surviving a late Toronto rally.

The Lakers shot 53.8% from the floor and 48.6% from 3-point range but committed 24 turnovers while improving to 3-1 at home. Doncic went 8-for-12 from long range to match his season high for 3-pointers made.

Scottie Barnes scored 29 points, and RJ Barrett added 22 points and 10 rebounds as the Raptors fell to 1-3 since Kawhi Leonard sustained a knee injury. Jamison Battle scored 20 points, and Immanuel Quickley added 12 as Toronto lost in the opener of a four-game road trip.

Barnes' performance came after he scored a career-high 41 points in a loss to the Orlando Magic on Friday. Toronto shot 42.9% from the floor and 31.5% from 3-point range.

The Raptors took an early 5-0 lead before the Lakers seized control with a 23-6 run. Los Angeles led 36-23 at the end of the first quarter and held a 66-54 advantage at halftime after Doncic scored 24 points and made six 3-pointers.

The Lakers led 104-82 through three quarters before the Raptors got back into the game with Doncic on the bench. Toronto went on a 9-0 run to pull within 109-100 with 6:58 remaining after a 3-pointer by Barrett.

Doncic returned and immediately made a reverse layup to end the Raptors' run. His basket sparked a 9-1 Lakers run that extended their lead to 118-101 with 4:07 remaining.

The Raptors pulled within 125-120 on a three-point play by Jaden Bradley with 43.7 seconds remaining before the Lakers closed out the victory.

-Field Level Media/Reuters