Toronto Raptors beat LeBron and Lakers without Kawhi: 4 takeaways
By Paul Taylor
We give our breakdown of a dominating win against the Los Angeles Lakers, as the Toronto Raptors continue to make their case for being the best team in the Eastern Conference.
When Kawhi Leonard suffered a foot injury on Friday night against the Phoenix Suns, we wondered how serious it was. Well, it was serious enough that the Toronto Raptors opted not to play him on Sunday night in Los Angeles, against the Lakers.
This was frustrating, as this was exactly the type of game you wanted Leonard available for, specifically because LeBron James was on the opposing team. To say he’s had the Raptors’ number over the years is an understatement, especially in the playoffs.
Of course, the Raptors won’t face this issue again for the foreseeable future, unless both they and the Lakers advance all the way to the NBA Finals. Regardless, it would have been good to see James and Leonard match up.
In the end it didn’t really matter, as the Raptors showed their strength in-depth and continued to make the case for being the best team in the Eastern Conference. Let’s get to our takeaways from an impressive 121-107 win in Los Angeles.