The Toronto Raptors wasted no time dispatching Frank Vogel and the Los Angeles Lakers in their first of two meetings this week. The Raptors held separate leads of 21-2 and 30-6 in the first quarter on their way to a 114-103 win that was not as close as the scoreline would indicate.
In a night that was marred by one of the slowest starts you’ll ever see in the NBA and LeBron James pelting a ball at Scottie Barnes, the Lakers were operating at half speed on defense. Gary Trent Jr. scored 28 points for the second time in three nights while all five Raptors starters hit double figures.
Vogel, regarded as a defensive head coach, struggled to generate much of anything on that end in this game. Even though his job security is hanging on by a threat that the Raptors may have gone a lone way towards severing, Vogel seems to be happy with what he saw in that game.
In his postgame interview, Vogel said that he was pleased with the effort he saw from the Lakers and asserted that they “didn’t let go of the rope.” Vogel also said that they “got great looks” against Toronto’s defense, yet couldn’t hit open jumpers. Is he in denial? Did he watch the same game we watched?
The Lakers trail the Raptors 33-12 at the end of 1Q. They shot 3-of-25 from the field.
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) March 15, 2022
One night after giving up the most points in a first quarter this season (48), the Lakers scored their fewest points in a 1st quarter this season.
Frank Vogel’s Lakers struggled against the Toronto Raptors.
The Lakers did cut Toronto’s lead to single digits, but did anyone really think they were pulling off a win? That was simply a result of the Raptors taking their foot off of the gas and LeBron nailing a few shots against a relaxed defense. Toronto’s best players were having their way with LA’s defense.
Trent led all Raptors with 28 points while Pascal Siakam chipped in with 27 points and 11 rebounds. 15 of Scottie Barnes’ 21 points came in a dominant first quarter. Toronto essentially sealed their win within the first few minutes. Outside of one nice second-quarter run, the Lakers looked dejected.
Checking in on the Lakers... pic.twitter.com/DTgKiUSoNe
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 15, 2022
The Lakers were 2-20 from the field at one point in this game and missed their first 16 3-point attempts. Vogel can go on all he likes about the effort he thought that LA showed, but any team that is that poor from the field on offense and that inept on defense has completely bailed on their coach.
While some incongruous fits on the roster have hampered the Lakers, Vogel is struggling to beat a team giving Khem Birch and Dalano Banton rotation minutes despite being handed a team with James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook. That Raptors loss should’ve crystallized that he is not the answer for LA.