The Los Angeles Lakers headed into Sunday’s matchup against the visiting Toronto Raptors with high hopes of putting their ugly loss to the Golden State Warriors behind them.

Although things got messy in the closing minutes, with head coach JJ Redick having to put his starters back in the game after being up as much as 26 points, the Lakers were able to get the win against Scottie Barnes and company, 131-125.

LUKA DONČIĆ JUST RECORDED A STATLINE THE NBA HASN'T SEEN BEFORE 🚨

😮‍💨 45 PTS
😮‍💨 15 REB
😮‍💨 6 AST
😮‍💨 5 STL
😮‍💨 8 3PM
😮‍💨 LAL W

Dončić is the first player in NBA history to reach 15+ REB, 5+ AST, 5+ STL, and 5+ 3PM in a game... and he also scored 45 PTS! pic.twitter.com/t4iWALNBO3

— NBA (@NBA) November 2, 2026

One of the main reasons for the Lakers having such a big lead against the Raptors was another epic showing from superstar Luka Doncic, who finished with 45 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and five steals.

Here are my three takeaways from a vintage Doncic performance and the Lakers’ fifth win of the 2026-27 NBA season.

No. 3: Luka Doncic Continues to Make an MVP Statement

During Sunday’s game at Crypto.com Arena, Doncic made NBA history with his statline.

The Slovenian superstar became the first player to record 45+ points, 15+ rebounds, 5+ assists, 5+ steals and 5+ three-pointers in a game.

Luka Dončić recorded 45 points (12-23 FG, 8-12 3FG, 13-13 FT), 15 rebounds, six assists, five steals and one block tonight vs. Toronto, becoming the first player in NBA history to record 45+ points, 15+ rebounds, 5+ assists, 5+ steals and 5+ 3-pointers in a game, per Lakers

— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) November 2, 2026

He was virtually unstoppable. Turnovers were still an issue, with seven to his credit, but that was completely overshadowed by his elite three-point shooting, hitting eight of his 12 attempts and the fact that he could basically do whatever he wanted out there.

The scoring, as usual, was impressive, but what he was doing defensively was on another level.

Along with his five steals, Doncic drew three charges and was extremely active in the one part of his game that gets criticized the most. He now leads the league in charges drawn with four this season.

Luka has drawn 4 charges this season, the most in the NBA.

— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) November 2, 2026

Doncic is now averaging a league-best 37.7 points per game and is well on his way to making a strong case for NBA MVP as long as he can keep up this kind of production while winning games for the rest of the 2026-27 campaign.

No. 2: Walker Kessler Gives Lakers Exactly What They Need

One thing is for certain about new Lakers center Walker Kessler: He’s not going to light up the scoreboard from a scoring perspective.

Kessler is a defensive-minded center whose impact offensively comes from catching lobs and getting easy buckets around the basket. A post game, so far, is nonexistent, which might be a problem down the line, but right now, it doesn’t matter.

Per Lakers: Walker Kessler recorded 16 points (6-6 FG), 15 rebounds and three blocks, becoming just the second Laker in franchise history to reach those marks while shooting 100.0% from the field, joining Wilt Chamberlain (1968-69).

Kessler also became one of 10 players in NBA…

— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) November 2, 2026

During Sunday’s game, Kessler finished with 16 points without missing a shot from the field at 6-for-6 while also being perfect from the free-throw line at 4-for-4.

Although the points are always a positive, the 25-year-old’s impact was felt on the defensive end of the basketball floor, as he dominated on the glass with 15 rebounds, blocked three shots and recorded one steal.

He continues to impose his will defensively, which is what the Lakers brought him in for, and anything else JJ Redick and company get from him is a plus.

No. 1: Lakers Still Have a Major Problem Closing Out Games

At one point in the game, the Lakers looked poised to cruise to victory and improve their record to 5-2, making up for the disappointing loss to the Warriors.

That didn’t turn out to be the case as things got really messy in the fourth quarter, giving up 43 points to the Raptors and letting them climb back into the game.

The Lakers were up by 22 points to begin the fourth and then saw that lead almost completely disappear, only winning by six points after bringing Doncic back in the game to seal the deal.

Los Angeles turned the ball over 24 times, which will be a major problem if they can’t fix these issues when facing some of the league’s elite teams.

Next Up: Lakers Host Giannis Antetokounmpo & Miami Heat

Doncic and company will try to get a win streak going on Monday in the second game of a back-to-back against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Miami Heat.

Considering it is the second game of a back-to-back set, the Lakers could rest some players, especially with the team playing three more games for the rest of the week following Monday’s matchup against Miami.