Los Angeles Lakers 131, Toronto Raptors 125

Let's start with the positive aspects.

Ja'Kobe Walter made his NBA debut Friday night after being sidelined for the past month with an AC joint injury he suffered before training camp. It wasn't a revelatory, impressive first performance from the 20-year-old shooting guard, but Walter was solid.

His first shot attempt came on a corner three-pointer that he sidestepped into and missed. Moments earlier, he was shaken off by Austin Reeves, who took him to the basket on the other end for a basket, making for a rough start for the Baylor rookie.

But Walter found his feet afterward, taking advantage of a screen from Jonathan Mogbo to create enough space for a layup that gave Reeves contact to make it 1-1, the first points of his career. He demonstrated the hustle the Raptors have been talking about with an impressive chase-down block on Rui Hachimura in the second quarter and fought off two Lakers with an offensive rebound to set up a basket by Ochai Agbaji.

After falling behind by 26 points in the first half, Toronto stormed back in the third period, cutting Los Angeles' lead to single digits thanks to top scoring from RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl. Walter also got involved, coming in midway through the session and executing a pick-and-roll with Mogbo before throwing an impressive pass to Chris Boucher from the corner to the basket.

The fact that Jamal Shead and Mogbo played so well early in their rookie seasons will put more pressure on Walter to do the same. That's understandable considering Walter was the No. 19 pick in the draft, but Walter is the youngest of the trio and has the most growth yet to come.

Walter finished his debut with five points and six rebounds, going plus-four in nearly 21 minutes.

RJ Barrett isn't gunning for Scottie Barnes' spot as the Raptors' No. 1, but the Canadian forward is showing there's more to his game as Toronto is forced to fill up with opportunities.

The problem for Barrett has always been offensive efficiency. He's had no problem averaging around 20 points per game throughout his career, but the way he goes about scoring those points hasn't been particularly effective.

However, recently that has changed.

Barrett tried to pull the Raptors back in the second half, pulling Toronto within six in the fourth quarter by beating James off the dribble and making contact for the three-point play. He hit a corner three-pointer a quarter earlier to put the Raptors within seven points, but Toronto never quite managed to come back.

Two three-pointers from Hachimura in the fourth gave the Lakers a 12-point lead that Los Angeles never relinquished.

Two three-pointers from Gradey Dick late in the fourth quarter allowed Barrett to set a new career high for assists, finishing the night with 33 points on 14-for-22 shooting and 12 assists. Dick, meanwhile, set a new career high with 31 points on 13-for-26 shooting.

LeBron James prepared it before the game.

Before making the tip Friday, James posted a photo of himself in a Scream mask on Instagram with the caption, “Live from LeBronto.” Honestly, he was spot on. James jerseys filled the arena, and oohs and ahhs erupted every time the 39-year-old did something truly impressive.

There was also a lot to impress against Toronto.

James doesn't move quite like he used to, or at least didn't have to against these Raptors, but he's still quite capable of putting on a show. He left DJ Carton behind in an unfair mismatch before turning and scoring at the basket. His highlights of the night were two passes to Anthony Davis, first going behind the back out of the pick-and-roll to find Davis, and later a pinpoint alley-oop to Davis for two.

James had the opportunity for a completely open transition dunk, but Hachimura knocked him to the ground, prompting a chorus of boos from fans wanting to see another James slam dunk.

Bronny James saw out the final few seconds of regulation time on Friday, much to the delight of James fans in attendance. But the elder James finished his trip to Toronto with 27 points and 10 assists in 36 minutes.

Toronto's defense simply hasn't been good enough this season.

It's one thing to be young, injured and inexperienced, but even the Raptors have realized it can't be as bad as it was. And yet the first half against the Lakers was one of the worst defensive periods Toronto has played all season.

Los Angeles is good, very good, but it can't be as bad as it was. Toronto called its first timeout just 76 seconds into the game after Gradey Dick committed two defensive errors that gave the Lakers a 7-0 lead. In halftime alone, the Lakers scored 76 points on 62% shooting, with Toronto offering little to no resistance.

Toronto isn't that bad. That became clear in the second half as the Raptors did a much better job and managed to get back into the game. But starts like the one in Toronto on Friday simply cannot be overcome.

The Raptors are right back at it Saturday night when DeMar DeRozan and the Sacramento Kings come to town to send Vince Carter's No. 15 to the rafters at Scotiabank Arena.