The Toronto Raptors knew they would have their hands full against the Los Angeles Lakers, even with superstar guard Luka Doncic sidelined. A 44-point effort from Austin Reaves helped the Lakers ultimately pull out a win in Toronto, but a buzzer-beating game-winner by Rui Hachimura sealed the deal.
The Lakers finished with a 123-120 win over the Raptors, as Toronto has now suffered their third loss in their last four games.
RUI HACHIMURA FROM THE CORNER FOR THE WIN OFF THE LEBRON JAMES DIME!
🚨 @TISSOT BUZZER-BEATER 🚨
Everyone Gets 24 pic.twitter.com/6J38hGVRYK
— NBA (@NBA) December 5, 2025
Raptors lose nail-biter to Lakers
The Raptors have been exceptionally good at home this season, winning eight consecutive games at Scotiabank Arena heading into this matchup with the Lakers. Still, despite the loss, this was a great effort from the Raptors to take the Lakers to the final seconds.
The Raptors were led by Scottie Barnes with 23 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists, and three blocks on 8-16 shooting from the field, while Brandon Ingram chipped in 20 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. This dynamic Raptors duo was incredible, but nothing could have stopped this Reaves performance.
Reaves finished with 44 points and 11 assists on 13-21 shooting from the field, as the 27-year-old guard continues to bolster his All-Star case.
A historic streak comes to an end
Nov 23, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) looks for the play against the Utah Jazz during the second half at Delta Center. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images
While all eyes were on Reaves’ 44-point outing and Hachimura’s buzzer-beater, arguably the most notable storyline of the night was LeBron James’ historic streak coming to an end.
After 1,297 consecutive games of scoring 10+ points, James finally fell short of that mark. James finished the win in Toronto with just eight points, even passing up the game-winning shot that would have brought him to that mark, and instead assisted Hacimura’s buzzer-beater.
James’ streak of 10+ point games was the longest in NBA history by a long shot, spanning over 18 years. Of course, it would have been challenging to keep this streak going until he retired, but snapping it in this fashion is wild.
Raptors need a statement win
The Raptors have played one of the NBA’s three easiest schedules so far this season, which has certainly played a role in their status as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. However, they have had a couple of chances to still pick up statement wins, but fell short against the Lakers.
Toronto’s upcoming schedule is expected to get easier again, but fans certainly want to see them win their next marquee matchup to show they are actually a top team in the NBA.
