REAVES DROPS 44: RUI HACHIMURA NAILS GAME-WINNER VS. RAPTORS
Austin Reaves dropped 44 points, and Hachimura hit the game-winner, giving the Lakers a dramatic victory over the Raptors despite LeBron scoring just eight points.
Rui Hachimura nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer on Thursday night, giving the Los Angeles Lakers a 123-120 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
LeBron James, with his eleventh assist of the game, set up Hachimura for the win. James had eight points, which ended his run of 1,297 games scoring in double digits. Before this game, James scored less than 10 points on Jan. 5, 2007, versus the Milwaukee Bucks.
Austin Reaves scored 44 points and had 10 assists for L.A. Deandre Ayton scored 17 points, Jake LaRavia had 14, and Hachimura and Nick Smith Jr. each pitched in 12 points.
Scottie Barnes led the Raptors with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. Brandon Ingram scored 20 points and had seven rebounds, and seven assists. Ja'Kobe Walter put up 17 points, Immanuel Quickley and Sandro Mamukelashvili each scored 13, Collin Murray-Boyles added 12, and Jamison Battle had 10.
The Lakers were missing Luka Doncic (personal reasons) and Marcus Smart (back injury).
The Raptors played without RJ Barrett (knee) and Jakob Poeltl (back injury).
The Lakers took a two-point advantage into the fourth quarter and upped it to five with a 3-pointer from Smith. Battle answered with a 3-pointer to tie the game at 108 with 7:47 left. He then hit a 20-footer to put Toronto up by two with just under six minutes remaining. Reaves tied the game at 112 with a pair of free throws.
Battle's layup with 4:54 to go put Toronto ahead by three. Reaves tied the score at 120 with a floater with 41.2 seconds on the clock before Hachimura's final shot.
The Lakers led by as much as 11 points in the first quarter and ended it with a 31-26 lead.
James' layup with 9:32 left in the second gave the Lakers a 10-point edge, which shrunk to two after Walter's 3-pointer with 5:21 to go. But L.A. then scored the next 10 points, thanks to Toronto's seven missed shots in a row. Jaxson Hayes' layup with 1:34 remaining gave the Lakers their biggest lead of the night at 13. Mamukelashvili's 3-pointer with 5.3 seconds left cut the Lakers' lead to 67-58 at halftime.
Walter's 3-pointer with 7:26 left in the third tied the game at 79. Murray-Boyles tipped in a basket to give Toronto a one-point lead with 6:07 remaining. Reaves then hit a 3-pointer, and James followed with a layup, putting the Lakers up by four. With 22 points in the third quarter, Reaves helped L.A. take a 100-98 lead into the fourth.
DEXTER LAWRENCE TRADE REQUEST LOOMS OVER GIANTS' PREPARATIONS FOR PITTSBURGH NFL DRAFT
Dexter Lawrence wants out! Discover why the Giants are considering a trade before the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh.
The New York Giants might have no choice but to trade Dexter Lawrence before the NFL Draft. Negotiations on a new contract with the star defender have hit a wall, and Lawrence already asked for a trade earlier this month. He's skipped the team’s first offseason practices under new head coach John Harbaugh, which hasn’t helped matters.
At this point, the Giants have been talking with several teams about a possible deal for Lawrence. With the draft coming up in Pittsburgh next week, the pressure is on. They need picks, and right now they only hold two selections in the top 100. Harbaugh’s trying to breathe new life into the roster, but he needs more draft capital to do it.
News of the stalled negotiations came just hours after GM Joe Schoen sounded pretty upbeat, saying talks had been "productive". He explained that he, Harbaugh, and senior VP Dawn Aponte were all in regular contact with Lawrence’s reps, looking for some kind of resolution. Schoen insisted they want Dexter to stay, but he admitted it’s out of their hands now. They’ll just have to see what happens.
Lawrence, 28, signed a four-year, $90 million extension last year. Since then, defensive contracts have exploded, so his deal has dropped to just 11th among league defenders. On top of that, the team’s shaken up its roster, letting go of many Lawrence’s close teammates like Saquon Barkley.
Lawrence has been with the Giants since they drafted him 17th overall in 2019. He’s played his whole seven-year career in New York, earning three trips to the Pro Bowl and two second-team All-Pro honours. His career stats include 30.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and an interception. But last year wasn’t great; he only managed half a sack, eight QB hits, and a pass rush win rate of 8.3 per cent for a team that finished 4-13. It’s hard to tell if he’ll stay with the Giants much longer.
RORY MCILROY TARGETS SEVENTH MAJOR AT ARONIMINK FOLLOWING EMOTIONAL MASTERS DEFENSE
No long break for Rory McIlroy! After his 6th major win, McIlroy eyes the PGA Championship at Aronimink this May.
Rory McIlroy isn’t following the same script after this Masters win. When reporters asked if he’d take another long break, as he did in 2025, Rory had a different plan in mind.
He’s not disappearing for months this time. Instead, he’s taking a couple of weeks off before jumping back into PGA Tour action. The next big event on the calendar is the PGA Championship, starting May 14 at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania, but it sounds like Rory wants to get some tournament play before then.
He talked about his mindset shift after winning again at Augusta. “My schedule’s going to be different this year,” he said on April 13. “Last year, I thought winning the Grand Slam would be the destination. But actually, it’s just part of the ride. Now that I’ve won my sixth major, I feel great about my game and my body.
“I waited ages to win the Masters, and then I won two in a row. I definitely want to enjoy this. I’ll take a couple weeks off, but I don’t think I’ll hit that motivation lull I felt last year after the win.”
So, what comes next for Rory? He’s skipping the RBC Heritage this week, and his appearance at the Zurich Classic isn’t confirmed either.
Then, there’s Donald Trump, who might’ve let the cat out of the bag. After congratulating Rory on social media, Trump said he was looking forward to watching him at Doral during the Cadillac Championship on April 30. That’s not an official confirmation, but it’s a pretty solid clue that Rory’s next start could be there.
Now that he’s up to six majors and finally has back-to-back Masters titles, Rory’s thinking ahead. The next big stop? The PGA Championship, where he’ll chase number seven. But he’s not feeling satisfied just yet.
“I don’t want to put a hard number on it, but this is just part of the journey,” he said. “I’ve still got things I want to accomplish even as I make sure I enjoy the moment, too.”