Remember when everyone thought games in the NBA bubble would be sloppy, rusty affairs? Well, if you were hoping for that, or just miss the days when professional basketball games were defensive slugfests on a nightly basis, the Lakers’ Saturday night matchup against the Toronto Raptors was for you.
For three quarters, the defending champs and the team that hopes to take their place went punch for counterpunch. The Raptors would go on a lengthy run to build a lead, then the Lakers would go small to counter with a burst of scoring of their own.