For one of the most historic franchises in the NBA, It wasn’t forward LeBron James or future franchise player of the Lakers, guard Luka Dončić. Instead, the 27 year old center Deandre Ayton led LA to a 110-93 win.
Ayton became the third Laker in franchise history to record a 100% shooting percentage on over 10 shot attempts with over 10 rebounds. He joins the elite company of center Wilt Chamberlain who did it against the Phoenix Suns on March 11, 1969 and forward/center Mitch Kupchak getting it done against the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 20, 1981.
One of the ongoing concerns for the Lakers, which only got worse following the Anthony Davis trade, has been the center position. Although that trade seemingly worked out in the Lakers favor, especially with the ongoing injuries for Davis, the position has had depth issues and many skeptics didn’t believe Ayton was the answer. While this doesn’t necessarily solve the issue, it helps quell some doubters as not just any center can etch their name into the franchise history books.
Ayton, while being the highlight, wasn’t the only positive the Lakers had in their home victory. The Lakers held the Raptors 93 points, 23.7 points less than their average points against being 116.7. This is also the first time since holding the Milwaukee Bucks to 95 in their road win on Nov. 15, 2025.
The game was not a blow out however, with the score remaining within double digits until the Lakers flourished in the fourth quarter led by James hitting back-to-back buckets to take the lead 91-80. Feeding off the energy the team then went on to a 9-0 run and eventually won the game 110-93.
James had a strong performance of 24 points, seven assists, four rebounds and two blocks, with Dončić coming back from a one game injury showing his dominance from range hitting five 3-pointers, and recording 25 points and seven assists of his own, despite having a shaky field goal percentage of 34.8%.
Raptors forwards Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram and center Sandro Mamukelashvili off the bench were the standouts for the team. Ingram had a rounded performance of 19 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals. Barnes recorded 22 points, nine rebounds, and three assists. Mamukelashvili had 20 points, six rebounds, two assists and one block and steal in his 24 minutes.
This historic win for the Lakers was one bringing the team confidence after going even in their last 10 games, and will hopefully provide a needed push to get them over the hump and back into the upper echelons of the competitive western conference.