Doncic scored 45 with 15 rebounds as the Lakers held off Toronto 131-125

Luka Doncic had 45 points, a season-high 15 rebounds, six assists and five steals as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Toronto Raptors 131-125 on Sunday night.

Doncic hit eight 3-pointers and reached at least 37 points for the fourth consecutive game, extending his early lead in the NBA scoring race.

Austin Reaves scored 19 points and Walker Kessler had 16 points and 15 rebounds for Los Angeles, which improved to 5-2.

Scottie Barnes scored 29 and RJ Barrett added 22 for Toronto, which dropped to 3-3 and began a four-game road trip with a loss.

The win moved the Lakers to 5-2 and kept them unbeaten at home in three games, while Toronto fell to 3-3 on the first night of a long road trip.

Los Angeles scored 36 in the first quarter and never trailed after the opening minutes, though the finish made it look closer than it was.

The Lakers controlled the first half and built a 36-23 lead after one quarter, with Doncic scoring inside and out.

Los Angeles led 102-76 with 90 seconds left in the third quarter, and the game looked finished.

Toronto trimmed the deficit to single digits with a run that carried into the fourth, and the Lakers needed their stars to close it.

Doncic and Reaves led a quick 9-1 rally that restored control.

Doncic's first-half scoring came from all three levels, and Toronto's switching defense could not decide whether to go under screens or trap him.

The Lakers' big third-quarter lead was built on a 10-0 run early in the period, and it looked like the game was over.

The Lakers' offense in the first half was the best it has looked all season.

Toronto's defense had no answer for the two-man game between Doncic and Kessler.

The rebounding number is the part that stands out. Fifteen boards from a guard is a season high and it came in a game the Lakers needed to survive on the glass.

His five steals are the other half of the line, and they came in a game where Toronto's transition game was the main threat.

The Lakers were coming off a 17-point loss at Golden State in which they blew a 25-point lead, so this was a response game.

Doncic's workload remains the question. He has now scored 37 or more in four straight games.

The 15 rebounds are a season high and they matter for a team that has been out-rebounded for most of the season.

His five steals were the other half of the line, and they came against a Raptors team whose transition game is its best offense.

Toronto's fourth quarter was its best stretch of the night, and Barnes was the reason.

The Raptors outscored Los Angeles 43-27 in the final period and made the closing minutes uncomfortable.

Barrett's 22 points came on volume, and the Raptors' half-court offense was better when the ball moved through Barnes.

The loss is the third in four games for Toronto, which now has to play the rest of the trip without Kawhi Leonard.

Toronto's 43-point fourth quarter was the best offensive period any team has had against the Lakers this season.

Barnes' 29 points came on efficient shooting, and his passing out of the post created the open threes that made the run possible.

Toronto's late run was built on 3-point shooting and offensive rebounds, two areas where the Lakers have been vulnerable.

The Raptors' next game is the second of the road trip, and they will need a better first half.

The Lakers' 5-2 start is built on offense, and the defense remains the question mark.

Los Angeles has now won the games in which Doncic is overwhelming and lost the one where he was not.

The next stretch includes better defensive teams, which will make the isolation-heavy possessions more expensive.

For now, the record is good and the star is playing at an MVP level.

The Lakers' defense remains the question. Los Angeles has allowed 125 or more in two of its last three games.

The schedule now includes three straight opponents with winning records, which will test whether the offense can carry the team.

The Lakers' next three opponents all have winning records, which will test the defense.

Toronto's road trip continues with two games against Western Conference teams.

The 45-point game will be remembered, but the 15 rebounds are the more useful signal for a team that has been out-rebounded all season.

If Doncic keeps rebounding at this rate, the Lakers' transition defense improves because possessions end with a defensive board.

Toronto leaves with a loss and a schedule that does not get easier.

Both teams play again this week, and both will be measured by whether the fourth quarter repeats.

Doncic's start has been historic, and the Lakers have needed almost all of it.

Toronto leaves with a loss but a fourth quarter it can build on.

Doncic's scoring average is the highest in the league, and the Lakers have needed every point.