Raptors’ depth have night to remember in win against Lakers

In their first game without Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka, the Toronto Raptors bench has a breakout performance against the Los Angeles Lakers.

For years the Toronto Raptors have embraced the underdog label which is exactly how some saw them going into Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

With no Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka, Nick Nurse was going to have to rely on his depth to provide some tough minutes against a talented Lakers team. Pascal Siakam (24 points) and Fred VanVleet (23 points) led the way but there were some outstanding performances in the second half that deserve recognition.

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Terence Davis II, Chris Boucher and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson were trusted to play some tough minutes in a close game. Considering the team is playing against Kawhi Leonard on Monday night, they needed to ensure that they can play their bench players which hasn’t been the case to start the season.

Getting the new bench mob to perform offensively wasn’t the concern for Nick Nurse, he wanted to see if they could lock things down defensively which they did an admirable job especially when they had to play the Lakers starters.

At first, things were looking doom and gloom as they trailed LA by eight points but found a way to turn things around especially with Siakam and VanVleet finding a way to be productive.

Although the biggest win had to be Nurse finally winning a coach’s challenge after he challenged a foul call on Siakam that LeBron James tried to sell. That loosened up the bench to get in on a good moment with Nurse hugging the coaching staff.

This is the type of victory that can be a tone-setter in what is expected to be a tough stretch for the Raptors. If they can find a way to replicate this effort against the Clippers, it would be one of the more successful California trips in recent memory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckEIHFR2GTMWhat did you think about the Raptors win over the Lakers? Who impressed you the most in this game? Let us know in the comments below.