The Los Angeles Lakers snapped their two-game losing streak on Friday when they defeated the lowly Toronto Raptors 131-125.
The Lakers were in control of the entire game for the most part, but things got tight late in the game. Because of that, the Lakers were unable to get rookie guard Bronny James into the game.
The Raptors fans wanted to see James on the court, so much so that they started to cheer for Bronny. Here’s how badly the Toronto fans wanted to see James in the game.
James did not see the floor on Friday night, but most importantly, they recorded the win.
Although James did not record a minute, he was amazed by the reception he received on Wednesday night in Cleveland.
“It was insane,” Bronny said of the reception after finishing with 2 points, 2 assists and 1 steal in five minutes. “Much more than I anticipated for sure. But it’s all love. It was insane. It was a nice moment. The chants really got me. I was straight-faced, but I felt it and it felt really good, especially coming from here. Yeah, it was a special moment for me for sure.”
James will be with the Lakes for at least the next two games of this road trip. L.A. will likely send James to the G League, where he will spend most of his rookie season with the South Bay Lakers.
Bronny hasn’t seen much time on the court but that’s been by design from the Lakers. He isn’t ready to be a full-time NBA player and will need to develop his skills more in the G-League going forward.
The Lakers showed up and showed out on their only visit to Canada during the season, and they did so behind the backs of their superstar duo, Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
Davis was the game’s leading scorer, recording a season-high 38 points in 36 minutes of play and making 14 of his 20 field goals, 11 rebounds, three steals, two blocks, and two assists.
As for LeBron, he was the team’s second-leading scorer with 27 points and made 9-of-17 field goals, six rebounds, 10 assists, and one steal in 36 minutes.
LeBron and Davis combined for 65 points in the victory. The Lakers will look to continue their winning streak starting on Monday when they take on the Detroit Pistons.
