Lakers fail to stop Raptors from long range in another loss
Lakers guard Kobe Bryant tries to score inside against Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) and center Bismack Biyombo in the second half.
The Lakers tripped over a new way to lose — the three-point line.
They couldn’t seem to locate the Toronto Raptors anywhere behind it, watching again and again as if a small wall prevented them from defending beyond 23 feet and nine inches.
The Raptors were fine with it, taking 33 three-point shots (a lot) and making 15 of them (also a lot) in a 102-91 victory Friday at Staples Center.
Kyle Lowry made seven of 11 all by himself and the Lakers fell to 2-10. They haven’t been this bad through a dozen games since 1957. They were still in Minneapolis.
This was too bad for the Lakers. Two of their young players had very good offensive showings but the postgame chatter was about more poor defense. And more losing.
“They just got loose way too much on the perimeter,” Lakers Coach Byron Scott said.
Kobe Bryant didn’t do much after five days of rest between games, including a stay-at-home day Monday while the Lakers got blown out in Phoenix. He had 10 points Friday on five-for-13 shooting in a season-high 37 minutes.
Julius Randle, however, had 18 points and 12 rebounds despite a small bout of nausea. D’Angelo Russell showed an assertive side with 17 points and three assists.
Russell’s burst came 90 minutes after Scott detailed his mentoring plan for the 19-year-old. The short version could be summed up in two words: tough love.
“I’ve got to treat him like a man. And he’s got to learn,” Scott said. “Sometimes that might be a little harsh, but as I told the guys last week, the NBA stands for ‘No Boys Allowed.’ It’s a man’s game.”
Then Scott showed a softer side.
“But I understand his situation. I understand how young he is, so at times, I’ll go up to him and give him a hug and talk to him about some of the things,” he said. “Other times, I’m going to let him try to figure it out.”
Many Lakers followers want more from Russell because the two players drafted after him have shown plenty of promise. Jahlil Okafor, taken third overall, is a threat to score 20 points every game for Philadelphia. Kristaps Porzingis, taken fourth by New York, scored 29 against Charlotte.
Russell was active Friday, missing on a drive but hitting a three-pointer and then giving Jordan Clarkson a lob for an alley-oop layup. Then he had a nice little move on the right side, getting Lowry to back off with a head fake and driving past him before pulling up for a 10-footer.
Russell fans had other reasons for optimism: He scored on a short runner after keeping the ball on a fastbreak; alertly stole the ball from Luis Scola in the backcourt for an easy layup; and scored on a 10-foot pull-up after taking a behind-the-pass from Bryant.
He still had rookie moments, including a lazy pass to Bryant above the three-point line that was stolen by Lowry and dunked at the other end by DeMarre Carroll.
He’s learning on the job.
“I tried to be everywhere, a ball-seeker,” he said. “If I could creep in and get some steals and get early transition buckets and try to get in there and rebound and do the same, it worked out well.”
Lowry had 25 points and five assists for Toronto (8-6).
“He’s an All-Star,” Russell said. “I try to learn something from every guard in this league. From his perspective, it never looked like he was forcing the issue. The ball just happened to find him every time.”
The Lakers want to keep Bryant between 28 and 32 minutes, and Scott said he kept him on the court longer than expected because the game was close.
But Scott added, “I worry about him now. Obviously, after the game, you worry about it.”
It’s one of many things for the Lakers to worry about. The season is apparently headed nowhere and it’s not even December.
Twitter: Mike_Bresnahan
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