The Toronto Raptors beat the Los Angeles Lakers 94-83, and Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas finished as the leading scorer in the game with 19 points.
In the first quarter, Jeremy Lin made the most of his third straight start with 10 points in his first 12 minutes. Riding the point guard's hot hand, the Lakers jumped out to an early 10-point lead before settling on a 24-17 edge after one quarter.
Not surprisingly, the Toronto Raptors roared back. Less than five minutes into the second quarter, Toronto had leveled the score at 32-32. From there, the Lakers and Raptors hung pretty even, and the Lakers went into the break leading by two points.
Consistently choosing his spots and scoring with a purpose, rookie point guard Jordan Clarkson managed 10 points to match Lin entering the locker room. The Lakers' new-look starting backcourt continued to gel and got off another fine start.
In the third quarter, the Lakers came out cold, which has been a recurring theme in the 2014/15 season. In the third period, the Lakers shot 29.4 percent, and Toronto flipped a two-point deficit into a five-point lead. Through three quarters, Compton-native DeMar DeRozan did not manage a single field goal, but the Raptors still led.
In the fourth quarter, the game would get out of hand. DeRozan would eventually get a bucket, but that wasn't the story. The Lakers simply stayed cold, and safe to assume that Toronto knows how to handle a cold front. The Lakers would shoot 26.3 percent in the fourth quarter to finish at 34.5 percent for the game.
A quick glance at the scoreboard had the Lakers down 10 points. Two blinks later, the lead would jump to 17 points. From there, the result was decided, and the score became academic.
For the hometown Raptors, Louis Williams and James Johnson combined to score 35 points off the bench. Over all, five Raptors finished scoring in double figures. Toronto won its 43rd game of the season and clinched the Atlantic division with the victory.
The Lakers lost their 52nd game of the season. Next, the Lakers play in Brooklyn on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Pacific Time.
Notes: Lin finished as the top scorer and top assist-man for the Lakers with 18 points and five assists. Clarkson finished with 14 points but did not manage a single assist.
