Los Angeles Lakers win fifth straight game as they reduce the Toronto Raptors to a 120-110 loss
Andrew Bynum returned after his off-season right knee injury and scored his season high 16 points and he was also one of the reserves to contribute to the 57 scored by the Lakers reserves.
The Lakers won their fifth straight game as they held the Toronto Raptors to a 120-110 defeat on Sunday.
Shannon Brown scored 14 points, Matt Barnes added 12 to the box score as they speared their eighth out of nine games in a 6-1 road trip.
Kobe Bryant remained the top scorer as he led the Lakers with 20 points and the foreign heart throb Pau Gasol added 19 to the box score.
"We relied on, played them a little bit longer. [Andrew Bynum] was active, his size made a difference. Obviously, Toronto had some injuries, [Andrea] Bargnani was out and that made a difference. They just didn't have the size to contest with us." Lakers
coach Phil Jackson described his team’s excellent play and the advantage they had over the missing players of Raptors.
Andrea Bargnani the top scorer of the Raptors was missing with a sore left ankle. Sonny Weems is still not back after missing his last game because of back spasms.
The Raptors who already had their top scorer’s missing could not meet the challenge set up by the Lakers’ reserves. The Lakers outscored the Raptors’ bench in a 57-27 advantage. Bynum scored 16 points, Brown added 14 and Barnes contributed 12 as they attacked
the Raptors with 23 of their 57 points in the fourth quarter. They did not allow the Raptors a single chance of making a return in to the game.
The Lakers outscored the Raptors in the second quarter 29-15 that tickled a 57-49 lead at halftime. The Lakers cooled off the Raptors down who had started the game with a 60 percent shooting but were at a 16 point length after the third quarter curtain raiser.
It was hard for the Raptors to reconcile against the deadly Lakers when their own tiger was injured and was resting out the game.
"I've grown up watching Laker games. It wasn't really surprising what he did. Kobe's Kobe, what can I say? Those were some tough shots, but he makes them all of the time." This is how Amir Johnson (Raptors) described Bryant’s performance as he hit some really
tough shots.
DeMarcus DeRozan played on a 6 for 12 shooting and scooped out 23 points for the Raptors. He had a marvelous third quarter as he oozed out for jump shots, dunk shots and hook shots that made the Raptors fans leap out of their seats and cheer their hearts
out for him. He didn’t let go of any of the jump shots and grabbed all seven of them. He made six of his seven shots and no one could help but praise the sophomore for his effort to at least pull some good points for his losing team.
Jerryd Bayless and Leandro Barbosa became the laggards in the game. Both of the players came off the bench and together they shot 4 for 19 only from the floor.
Coming up next
For the Lakers: Tuesday vs Milwaukee, Saturday vs Miami, Tuesday vs San Antonio.
For the Raptors: Wednesday vs Detroit, Monday vs Memphis, Tuesday vs Dallas.
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