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 Lowry scored 25 points, hitting seven 3-pointers, and the Raptors
earned a 102-91 victory over the Lakers at Staples Center.
Guard DeMar DeRozan had 18 points as the Raptors (8-6) ended a
three-game skid. Forward DeMarre Carroll added 13 points and seven
rebounds.
"My teammates, when you've got someone going, they do a good job of
finding them," said Lowry, who converted seven of 11 3-pointers and
also had three steals. "But we have to find ways to finish games out
a little bit stronger like we did tonight."
The Raptors connected on 43.6 percent of their shots and tied a
season high by making 15 of 33 3-pointers. The Lakers made 45.5
percent of their shots and eight of 25 from behind the 3-point
stripe.
"We got to understand a lot of teams in this league are still
tentative to be able to make a run and hit some big shots," said
DeRozan, who finished with 5-of-12 shooting from the floor.
Lakers coach Byron Scott said his team failed to defend the
long-distance shooting.
"They just got loose way too much on the perimeter," Scott said.
"They are a good shooting team. I thought a couple of times Kyle
just walked right into them. We didn't put enough pressure on him,
and then other times we were in scramble situations and they just
caught it and were wide open."
Forward Julius Randle scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to
lead the Lakers (2-10), who have dropped six of their last seven.
Rookie point guard D'Angelo Russell scored a career-high 17 points
for Los Angeles, while guard Jordan Clarkson finished with 13
points.
"I felt like we played well, we just couldn't get a stop when we
really needed it," said Russell, who made seven of 16 field goals,
including three of seven on treys, and topped his previous high of
16 points earlier this month against the Brooklyn Nets. "At the end
of the day, they capitalized every chance they got. They did a great
job of making contact on screens, so it was forcing guys to help
more. They made the right plays."
Guard Kobe Bryant managed 10 points, five assists and four rebounds
in a season-high 37 minutes.
The Raptors were in control early in the fourth quarter. A 3-pointer
by Carroll put them up 91-76 with 7:56 remaining in the contest.
But the Lakers rallied, cutting the Raptors' lead to 93-87 after a
corner 3-pointer by reserve forward Metta World Peace with 3:49
left. After the Raptors pushed the margin back to 10 on two free
throws and a basket by DeRozan, the Lakers made another run.
Bryant's 3-point basket pulled them within 97-91 with 1:48
remaining.
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Consecutive buckets by DeRozan and Carroll, though, sealed the
outcome for Toronto.
"The key, what got us there, was ball movement," Toronto coach Dwane
Casey said of his club's fourth-quarter performance. "I think when
we got in trouble tonight the ball got stuck, started sticking, and
that's one thing we have to break."
There were 10 lead changes in the first half -- 15 overall -- before
Los Angeles took at 50-49 lead at the break.
The Lakers took their biggest lead, 63-56, after a bucket by Randle
with 6:52 left in the third quarter. However, the Raptors closed on
a 20-5 run to end the quarter, capped by a put-back dunk by forward
Patrick Patterson, for a 76-68 advantage heading into the fourth.
The Raptors outscored the Lakers 27-18 in the third.
Toronto lost starting center Jonas Valanciunas with a broken left
hand. Valanciunas suffered the injury in the first half.
NOTES: Lakers coach Byron Scott said his club remains confident
despite the awful start. "We talked about it today, just staying
together and trusting each other, and building that trust is
probably the toughest thing for young (players)," Scott said. He
picks his spots with rookie G D'Angelo Russell. "At times, I'll give
him a hug and talk to him about some of the things and at times I'll
try to let him figure it out," Scott said. ... Lakers G Lou Williams
faced his former club for the first time, managing just six points
on 2-of-6 shooting in almost 16 minutes. ... Both clubs play Sunday
at the Staples Center in a doubleheader. The Raptors face the
Clippers in the opener and the Lakers play the Portland Trail
Blazers in the nightcap.
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