The Toronto Raptors have reminded the NBA why they are the league's reigning champions with a stellar 107-92 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kyle Lowry led the way for Toronto with 33 points as the Raptors outplayed the Lakers on both sides of the court.
Anthony Davis was unable to repeat his dominance from the Lakers' previous outing against the Clippers, held to just 14 points on two-from-seven shooting.
Defensive clinic tonight.@TangerineHoops Game Highlights: https://t.co/g4NREeiKps pic.twitter.com/8edGL2Zd2E — Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) August 2, 2020
Toronto will play Miami next on Tuesday while the Lakers, who are also in action again on Tuesday, will be hoping for a better result against the Utah Jazz.
An unexpected points explosion from TJ Warren shocked the Philadelphia 76ers as the Indiana Pacers rode the former Phoenix Suns' forward to a six-point victory.
Warren, who has never finished a season averaging more than 20 points per game, drained nine threes in a 53-point effort which saw him claim the first 50-point haul of the restart.
ROLL THAT @TonyWarrenJr TAPE 📼 5️⃣3️⃣ points and a #PacersWin 👏 pic.twitter.com/cyhK1Vj5mQ — Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) August 2, 2020
A 41-point performance from Joel Embiid was the sole bright point for the Sixers in the 121-127 defeat.
Paul George lit up the New Orleans Pelicans from deep as his Los Angeles Clippers cruised to a 126-103 win.
George went 8-11 from beyond the arc as the Clippers ended the game with a franchise-record 25 threes.
In the rest of the day's games, a dominant third quarter helped the Miami Heat to a 125-105 triumph over the Denver Nuggets while a vintage effort from Chris Paul led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 110-94 victory against the Utah Jazz.
