Lakers vs Raptors on Sunday night is the Los Angeles Lakers’ first chance to answer for Friday’s collapse at Golden State. JJ Redick’s team (4-2) hosts the Toronto Raptors (3-2) at Crypto.com Arena at 6 p.m. PST, two nights after a 25-point lead turned into a 112-95 NBA Cup loss to the Warriors. The Lakers get help on the injury report: rookie Cameron Carr has been cleared to make his NBA debut. Toronto, meanwhile, will again be without Kawhi Leonard, who is out with a left knee issue. Scottie Barnes is coming off a career-high 41 points.
Game info
- Tipoff: Sunday, Nov. 1, 6 p.m. PST, Crypto.com Arena. It’s the first of two meetings, and the rematch is Jan. 3 in Toronto.
- TV and radio: Spectrum SportsNet and Spectrum SportsNet+, plus ESPN LA 710 and 980 KFWB, according to the Lakers’ game notes.
- Line: ESPN’s pickcenter shows DraftKings with the Lakers favored by 3.5 and a total of 227.5. ESPN’s matchup predictor gives Los Angeles a 67.5% chance to win.
- Schedule: This is the first game of a back-to-back for the Lakers, who host the Miami Heat on Monday at 7 p.m. PST. For Toronto, it starts a four-game road trip that goes to the Clippers on Monday.
Injury report
- Cameron Carr (available): The rookie guard from Baylor strained his right oblique in camp and missed the first six games. He went through three practices with the team’s G League affiliate this week and is off the report. Redick explained earlier in the week what he needed to see: “We needed him to be able to get through a full practice, so that’s probably a very important step… want to make sure he’s able to take hits and able to be in shape.”
- Ziaire Williams (questionable): He is listed with left foot/heel injury management and has missed the last two games.
- Adou Thiero (out): He is out with left knee injury management.
- Walker Kessler (available): He is on the report with a splint on his left finger but has been cleared to play.
- Raptors: Kawhi Leonard (left knee injury management) and Nate Bittle (right avulsion fracture) are out, and two-way guard Malachi Smith is on G League assignment.
Fixing what went wrong Friday
The Lakers led Golden State 38-15 after one quarter and were up by 25 at one point. The game turned early in the second quarter. Redick said the problems were ball security and the second unit doing the opposite of the plan. “It was a bad way to start the quarter just in terms of the turnovers,” Redick said on Spectrum SportsNet. “We had specifically said to that group… that we didn’t want to bring X-5 into it. That we wanted to keep that guy out of it and they just kept bringing X-5 into it to start the second quarter and we kept turning the ball over.”
Shooting was the other problem. “We started 8-for-14 (from 3) and got the lead, we go 3-for-25 the rest of the way and of course they had a hot shooting night,” he said. He took some of the blame too: “We gotta be more organized. I’ll take some blame there.”
The bench numbers explain the frustration. Jarred Vanderbilt, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes, Bronny James, Chris Manon and Jaden Hardy scored a combined seven points, while Golden State’s reserves scored 50. Redick isn’t overreacting: “You don’t become a great team in six games. We want to become a great team after 82 games and have a chance to go compete for a championship in April, May and June.” On the bench he said, “It’s the sixth game, second loss, and those guys obviously helped us win the other night. They’ll be better.”
That is where Carr could come in. Redick hasn’t said whether the rookie will play or how many minutes he would get. Still, a scoring wing fits Friday’s clearest weakness, especially if Williams sits.
Luka Doncic and the starting group
Luka Doncic leads the Lakers with 36.2 points and 7.6 assists per game, and he had 37 at Chase Center. On Friday the Lakers started Doncic, Austin Reaves, Jake LaRavia, Matisse Thybulle and Kessler, who leads the team at 9.0 rebounds per game. The Lakers average 118.5 points on 51% shooting, but they also commit 17.8 turnovers per game, according to ESPN’s team numbers.
Scouting the Raptors
- Scottie Barnes: He averages 24.0 points and 6.8 rebounds. In Friday’s 121-114 NBA Cup loss to Orlando he scored 41 on 19-of-34 shooting, setting career highs in field goals made and attempted, before fouling out. The AP called it his first 40-point game.
- Immanuel Quickley: He leads Toronto with 6.0 assists per game. He had 17 points and eight assists against Orlando, including the 3-pointer that put Toronto up 102-100 with 8:38 left.
- Frontcourt: Jakob Poeltl had 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Collin Murray-Boyles scored 15 off the bench. Toronto averages 44.2 rebounds per game to the Lakers’ 39.2.
- RJ Barrett: He started on Friday, scored nine points on 3-of-10 shooting and picked up a technical after a first-quarter scuffle with Desmond Bane.
- Form: The Raptors have wins over Chicago (135-92), at Washington (112-102) and over Orlando (129-99), and losses at Minnesota (117-94) and to Orlando. According to the AP, they have lost two of the three games Leonard has missed.
- Defense: Toronto allows 106.2 points per game and forces turnovers, with 12.4 steals per game. That is exactly the area the Lakers struggled with on Friday.
A familiar face
Mamukelashvili will face his former team. The Lakers’ game notes recall that when the Lakers beat Toronto 110-93 at Crypto.com Arena on Jan. 18, 2026, Mamukelashvili scored 20 points for the Raptors. After the Oct. 28 win over the Clippers, Redick called Vanderbilt and Mamukelashvili “probably the best pairing.” That pair needs a better night Sunday.
Keys for the Lakers
- Take care of the ball: Toronto averages 12.4 steals, and live-ball turnovers become transition points.
- Box out: Poeltl had six offensive rebounds Friday. Second chances would keep the Lakers on defense.
- Bench minutes: The Lakers need more than seven points from the second unit. Carr’s debut, if it happens, is part of the answer.
Notes and conflicts
- Thiero and Bittle: The AP preview, written Friday, lists Adou Thiero as day-to-day and Bittle as day-to-day. The league’s injury report from Sunday morning lists both as out. We are going with the league report.
- Carr: The AP preview lists Carr as day-to-day with an oblique injury. The league report and the Lakers’ game notes no longer list him. Whether he plays is unconfirmed.
- Leonard’s timeline: ESPN shows an estimated return date of Nov. 23. The Raptors have not confirmed it.
- Spread: ESPN’s preview page shows Lakers -4.5, while its pickcenter data shows -3.5. The line may have moved; check before tipoff.
- Williams: ESPN lists him as day-to-day; the league report says questionable.
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