Los Angeles Lakers 131, Toronto Raptors 125

Let’s start with the positives.

Ja’Kobe Walter made his NBA debut Friday night after spending the last month sidelined due to an AC joint injury he suffered before training camp. It wasn’t an impressive, eye-opening debut performance from the 20-year-old shooter, but Walter was solid.

His first shot attempt came via a corner three-pointer in which he stepped wide and missed. Moments earlier, he was rocked by Austin Reeves who took him to the hoop for a bucket at the other end in what was a rough start for the Baylor recruit.

But Walter settled in after that, he used a screen from Jonathan Mogbo to create enough space for a layup that drew contact from Reeves for an and-1, the first points of his career. He showed the hustle the Raptors were talking about with an impressive chase block from Rui Hachimura in the second quarter and fought off two Lakers for an offensive rebound to set up a bucket from Ochai Agbaji.

“He’s got a really good nose for the ball,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said of Walter. “He’s a very good defender with the ball. He has very active hands, long arms. He’s very disruptive and he has very good feel for getting offensive and defensive rebounds.”

After falling behind by 26 in the first half, Toronto came roaring back in the third, cutting Los Angeles’ lead to single digits thanks to a burst of goals from RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl. Walter also stepped up, subbing midway through the frame and working a pick-and-roll with Mogbo before throwing an impressive backhanded pass to Chris Boucher cutting in from the corner for the bucket.

The fact that Jamal Shead and Mogbo have played so well to start their rookie seasons will increase the pressure on Walter to do the same. That’s understandable considering Walter was the No. 19 pick in the draft, but Walter is the youngest of the trio with the most growth coming.

Walter finished his debut with five points and six rebounds and was plus-four in nearly 21 minutes.

RJ Barrett isn’t coming for Scottie Barnes’ spot as the Raptors’ number one pick, but the Canadian forward shows there’s more to his game when Toronto is forced to fill his plate with opportunities.

The problem for Barrett has always been offensive efficiency. He’s had no problem averaging around 20 points per game over the course of his career, but it’s how he scores those points that hasn’t been particularly effective.

But lately that has changed.

Barrett tried to rally the Raptors in the second half and brought Toronto within six points in the fourth quarter, beating James off the dribble and finishing through contact for the three-point play. He nailed a corner three-pointer a quarter earlier to bring the Raptors within seven points, but Toronto was never able to fully come back.

“First of all, I think RJ is very capable (of playing),” Rajaković said of Barrett who set a career high with 12 assists on Friday. “I think he has to do even more. He has to be a playmaker for our team and create offense for our team. … I’m a big fan of RJ. I believe in him and I call him every day to find out more.”

A pair of 3-pointers from Hachimura in the fourth put the Lakers out to a 12-point lead from which Los Angeles never looked back.

Two Gradey Dick three-pointers late in the fourth quarter thanks to Barrett’s set-ups allowed Dick to finish the night with 31 points on 13-of-26 shooting to once again set a new career scoring record . Barrett finished his evening with 33 points on 14 of 22 shooting.

LeBron James put it on before the game.

Before the announcement Friday, James posted a photo of himself on Instagram wearing a Scream mask with the caption “Live from LeBronto.” Honestly, he was pretty perfect. James’ jerseys filled the arena as oohs and ahhs erupted every time the 39-year-old did something impressive.

Against Toronto, there was also reason to be impressed.

James doesn’t really move like he once did, or at least didn’t need to against these Raptors, but he’s still very capable of putting on a show. He took DJ Carton backwards in an unfair match before turning around and scoring at the hoop. His highlights of the night were a pair of passes to Anthony Davis, first behind the back of the pick-and-roll to find Davis, then a pinpoint alley-oop to Davis for two.

James had the opportunity to do what would have been a wide-open transition dunk, but Hachimura knocked it down, prompting a chorus of boos from fans wanting to see another slam dunk from James.

Bronny James saw out the final seconds of regulation on Friday, much to the appreciation of James fans in attendance. But the elder James finished his trip to Toronto with 27 points and 10 assists in 36 minutes.

Toronto’s defense just hasn’t been good enough this season.

It’s one thing to be young, injured and inexperienced, but even the Raptors recognized that it couldn’t be as bad as it used to be. And yet, the first half against the Lakers was among the worst defensive stretches Toronto has played all season.

Los Angeles is good, very good, but it can’t be as bad as it used to be. Toronto burned its first timeout just 76 seconds into the game after two defensive errors from Gradey Dick allowed the Lakers to take a 7-0 lead. In the half alone, the Lakers scored 76 points on 62% shooting, with Toronto offering little to no resistance.

“It’s hard to put your finger on it, because it’s like a little lack of experience in a lot of different situations where we make little mistakes that turn into bigger problems,” said Jakob Poeltl, who collected 19 points and 12 rebounds. . “Or we can’t figure out how to find a rhythm on offense and it burns us on defense because then they get into a flow, they get transition buckets, they get high releases, and just like playing on their advantages and strengths.

Toronto is not as bad as it seemed at first. That was clear in the second half when the Raptors did a much better job and managed to get back into things. But starts like Toronto’s on Friday are simply impossible to overcome.

The Raptors will be back in action Saturday night when DeMar DeRozan and the Sacramento Kings come to town for the retirement of Vince Carter’s number 15 in the rafters at Scotiabank Arena.