Lakers player grades: L.A. wins on Rui Hachimura's walk-off 3-pointer

Coming off a 125-108 beatdown at the hands of the Phoenix Suns on Monday, the Los Angeles Lakers began a challenging three-game road trip on Thursday against a Toronto Raptors team that came in with a surprising 15-7 record.

They had to go to battle without Luka Doncic, who was unavailable due to a personal matter. In addition, veteran guard Marcus Smart missed his fourth straight game due to a back ailment.

But Los Angeles got off to a solid start and had a five-point lead at the end of the first quarter. A 14-1 run late in the second quarter allowed it to take a 67-58 halftime lead, but the Raptors fought back and made it a back-and-forth affair for most of the second half.

In the end, the Lakers had just a little more in their tank. On the final possession of the game, the score was tied at 120, and Austin Reaves, who was the best player on the floor by far, was trapped and had to give up the basketball. LeBron James then looked to drive but was cut off by Immanuel Quickley. He threw the ball to Rui Hachimura in the corner, and Hachimura hit the game-winning 3-pointer as the horn sounded, giving L.A. a three-point win.

The team did a good job in terms of ball security by committing just 11 turnovers after giving up the ball 22 times on Monday. It shot an even 50% from the field and 41.9% from 3-point range while holding a 58-46 advantage in points in the paint. With a 16-5 record, the Lakers continue to hold second place in the Western Conference.

Rui Hachimura: B-minus/B

Hachimura made the game-winner for the Lakers, but overall, he did a decent job of supplying offense when they needed it, even if it wasn't an outstanding game for him. He went 4-of-9 from the field and 2-of-3 from 3-point range and finished with 12 points, to go along with three rebounds and one steal in 35 minutes.

Gabe Vincent: C-minus

Vincent hit two shots in the first quarter to help the Lakers get off to a strong start. But after that, he couldn't find the basket. He fouled out with 5:23 left in the fourth quarter and finished with five points on 2-of-8 overall shooting and 1-of-5 from 3-point range, plus four assists, two rebounds, one steal and one block in 24 minutes.

Deandre Ayton: A-minus

Ayton continued to feast near the basket by making eight of his 11 shot attempts, giving him 17 points in 32 minutes. He also grabbed eight rebounds and blocked two shots, and his overall rim protection was strong.

Austin Reaves: A-plus

Reaves is simply on an unreal tear to start this season. He has a history of turning up his game whenever one of L.A.'s superstars has been out, and Thursday's game was no exception.

He had 14 points in the first half, and he then went off for 22 points in the third quarter, which was a career high in any quarter for him, to help the Lakers keep pace with Toronto. He ended up with 44 points, which was one point shy of his career high, on 13-of-21 field-goal shooting, 5-of-11 from downtown and 13-of-15 from the free throw line.

His career high in scoring is 45 points, which he achieved midway through last season against the Indiana Pacers. In that game, James didn't play, and Doncic had yet to make his Lakers debut right after the trade that brought him to town.

Reaves also dished off 10 assists and grabbed five rebounds against the Raptors. Right now, only a select handful of men in the NBA are playing better than him.

LeBron James: C-minus/C

James looked a little more engaged in this game than he did on Monday when he took 10 shots and mustered just 10 points. But he missed each of his first six shots, and he ended up going 4-of-17 from the field. He had trouble finishing shots near the rim, and the Raptors often sent a second defender at him when he had the ball on the perimeter.

There is an old saying that all good things must come to an end, and this game marked the end of James' historic streak of 1,297 consecutive double-digit scoring games. On that final possession, he could've forced a shot attempt in order to preserve that streak and win the game himself. Instead, he made the right basketball play. It was an unselfish decision by James, and it resulted in a victory.

Overall, the 40-year-old had eight points, 11 assists and six rebounds in 36 minutes.

Jake LaRavia: B-plus

LaRavia did what he needed to with Doncic out. He scored 14 points on 5-of-8 overall shooting, and he also grabbed seven rebounds and had two steals. He also had a key defensive play when, in the fourth quarter, he ran back on defense to get a piece of Sandro Mamukelashvili's fast-break layup attempt, leading to two made free throws for Reaves at the other end.

Jaxson Hayes: B

In 16 minutes, Hayes made two of his five shot attempts to score four points, and he also had four rebounds, with three of them coming on the offensive glass, while blocking three shots.

Nick Smith Jr.: A-minus

With Doncic and Smart out, Smith got a rare opportunity to play meaningful minutes. He was on the court for 14 minutes and made four of his seven shot attempts while going 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, giving him 12 points, plus two rebounds and two steals.

Like LaRavia, he had a highlight-worthy defensive play. He hustled back on defense late in the first quarter to prevent Gradey Dick from scoring a fast-break layup, then he scored on a runner in the lane seconds later.

Adou Thiero, Dalton Knecht: Incomplete

Thiero played 10 minutes and had a nifty layup off a drive, plus the foul, in the second quarter. A little later, he intercepted a pass, took it the length of the floor and got fouled.

In three minutes, Knecht made his only shot attempt, which was a 3-pointer.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers player grades: L.A. wins on Rui Hachimura's walk-off 3-pointer