1. The Lakers took a step back Saturday, losing touch with their offense in a rough 107-92 loss to Toronto.
It was the second straight game the Lakers struggled with the ball. Not exactly cause for concern, but surely worth noting.
Anthony Davis started slowly against the Raptors and never found a rhythm, making only two baskets in 35 minutes with constant double-teams thrown at him.
Starters Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Danny Green, and JaVale McGee didn’t add much of anything, combining for only eight points as the Lakers lost to the defending NBA champions for the second time in two tries this season.
The Lakers were averaging 114 points when the NBA suspended play in March. They’re averaging only 97.5 in the first two restart games.
They eked out a 103-101 win Thursday over the Clippers only after Davis scored 34 points and LeBron James came up with some last-minute heroics.
To avoid panic, it’s worth keeping in mind that Toronto has the NBA’s second-best defense and the Clippers own the league’s fourth-best defense.
2. The restart continued to rough on Green.
He was scoreless Saturday, missing all six of his three-point shots. He’s made only two of 13 shots in his first two games back.
It wasn’t necessarily great Toronto defense against Green. He just missed a lot of open looks.
Maybe it’s a case of playing against his old team. He failed to score when the Lakers played Toronto earlier this season, missing all four of his three-point attempts.
3. On a good note, the Lakers’ bench was solid yet again.
The reserves dominated on a night where the starters weren’t clicking. The Lakers’ bench outscored Toronto’s backups, 50-15, including a surreal 31-6 edge in the first half.
Kyle Kuzma matched what he did against the Clippers with another 16 points and continued to carry the threat from three-point range. He’s seven for 14 behind the arc in the restart phase.
Dion Waiters again showed some instant offense with 12 points and Alex Caruso was also effective with 11.
Everyone always talks about the Clippers’ bench, and rightly so. They lead the league with more than 50 points a game.
But the Lakers’ backups are solid so far in the seeding games.
Mike Bresnahan is the Lakers analyst for Spectrum SportsNet.