Jan. 18, 2026, 9:36 p.m. PT

The Los Angeles Lakers‘ recent extended slump continued on Saturday when they lost 132-116 to the Portland Trail Blazers. In that game, they were without Luka Doncic, Denadre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes, but all three returned to action on Sunday when they hosted the Toronto Raptors.

The Raptors came into Sunday’s game with a 25-18 record, which had them in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, and they boast arguably the NBA’s best fast-break attack. It looked like the Lakers were in for another stiff test and possibly their 13th loss in 22 games.

They found themselves behind 30-21 at the end of the first quarter because of the lackluster defense that has become a habit for them over the last several weeks. But they responded with 11 unanswered points and a 24-6 overall run to start the second quarter. After most of the second and third quarters were close, L.A. went on an 11-3 run to end the third period, and after that, it opened things up en route to a 110-93 victory.

Toronto’s 93 points were a season low for it, and it shot only 41.8% from the field and 21.9% from 3-point range. Los Angeles started to employ a zone defense in the second quarter that helped turn the tide, and it also outrebounded the Raptors by five and held them to 14 fast-break points. With a 25-16 record, L.A. remains in sixth place in the Western Conference and has a half-game cushion over the seventh-place Phoenix Suns.

Marcus Smart: B

Smart helped hold Raptors starting point guard Immanuel Quickley, who came into this game averaging 16.5 points a game, to nine points on 4-of-9 field-goal shooting. Offensively, he made half of his six shot attempts and two of his three 3-point attempts, and he finished with eight points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal, but he committed five turnovers in 25 minutes.

Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!Jake LaRavia: D

For the second straight game, LaRavia contributed next to nothing offensively. He made one of his five shot attempts and ended up with two points, to go along with five rebounds, two assists and one steal in 19 minutes.

Deandre Ayton: A

Ayton got the ball fairly often in the first half, allowing him to log 12 points by halftime. The Lakers continued to feed him the ball in prime scoring position throughout the game, and he took full advantage by making all 10 of his shot attempts and five of his six free throw attempts, giving him 25 points. He also grabbed 13 rebounds and added one assist and one block in 33 minutes.

Luka Doncic: C-minus/C

Doncic scored 18 points in the first half, but he was just 5-of-14 from the field during that time, and he had three of his shots blocked by Raptors forward Collin Murray-Boyles. He shot even more poorly in the second half and ended up 8-of-23 overall from the field, although he did go 5-of-12 from 3-point land.

Doncic finished this game with 25 points, seven assists, two rebounds, one steal and one block in 34 minutes.

LeBron James: B

James played 32 minutes and shot 9-of-17 from the floor, allowing him to finish with 24 points, seven assists, four rebounds and two blocks. When the Lakers went on that 24-6 run early in the second quarter, he scored nine points to ignite that spurt.

Gabe Vincent: C

In 17 minutes, Vincent hit two of his five shot attempts and finished with five points, two assists, one rebound and one steal.

Jaxson Hayes: B

After missing three straight games with a hamstring ailment, Hayes played 13 minutes and had two points and five rebounds to help L.A.’s cause.

Rui Hachimura: B-minus

Hachimura may not be fully back in game shape and rhythm after missing seven straight games with a calf injury. But he made a decent contribution on Sunday with 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting in 21 minutes off the bench. However, he didn’t have a single rebound, assist, steal or block.

Jarred Vanderbilt: A

Vanderbilt was very active in this contest, and it resulted in him putting up good numbers across the board. In 21 minutes, he grabbed nine rebounds and added two points, one assist, two steals and two blocks. He was a significant factor when the Lakers established a sizable lead late in the third quarter and early in the fourth quarter, especially defensively and on the boards.

Drew Timme: C

One night after scoring 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting, Timme got 16 minutes and went 1-of-4 overall and 1-of-2 from downtown. He finished with three points, three rebounds and two assists.

Dalton Knecht, Bronny James, Nick Smith Jr., Kobe Bufkin: Incomplete

All four players were on the court for the final 2:17 of this game. Knecht, the younger James and Bufkin went scoreless and didn’t attempt a single shot, while Smith made one of his three shot attempts and had three points.