Considering how difficult it has been to get to them in recent seasons and where they are in the season, there shouldn’t be too many complaints about the Lakers being able to beat the Raptors on Friday.

But it’s also fair to say that they turned a game that seemed destined for an easy win into something much more difficult. After leading by almost 30 points in the first half, the Lakers needed to eke out a win at the end.

In many ways it was reminiscent of last season. I think it’s fair to say that there are many rational reasons to give the team some time to learn together in this new system so as not to over-hype Friday’s win.

But the PTSD was strong.

So, let’s dive into victory. As always, grades are based on each player’s expectations. The grade “B” represents the average performance of that player.

Anthony Davis

36 minutes, 38 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 14-20 FG, 10-11 FT, +7

What a dominant display. Just absolutely dominant. AD did it in a variety of ways on Friday, including repeated leaks for easy baskets.

It also appeared that on a number of his attempts, misses and shots he was fouled and the whistle was not blown. This could easily have been a 40-point night. It was wonderful to see how he not only performed on offense, but also took center stage.

Grade: A+

Rui Hachimura

33 minutes, 9 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 3-12 FG, 2-5 3PT, 1-1 FT, -6

That was really hard for Rui. While I appreciate the mentality he has attacking the rim, he has to mix things up because he gets blocked there at least once per game.

Now, to his credit, the two 3-pointers he knocked down in the fourth quarter were huge shots. That also speaks for his mentality. And it will affect my grade a little bit because those were a couple of powerful 3-pointers, even if they were open given the context of the game and its issues up to that point.

Grade: C+

LeBron James

36 minutes, 27 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal, 9-17 FG, 5-8 3PT, 4-6 FT, +11

Nice rebound game from LeBron after battling an illness all week and not looking like himself. He also scored some really timely three-pointers in the second half.

It felt like every post-up from LeBron ended in a miss. Hopefully he can get back to 100% with an extra day off before his game in Detroit. But when LeBron gives you 27-6-10 under 100% at age 40, you laugh every time you take that.

Grade: A-

D’Angelo Russell

32 minutes, 19 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 7-13 FG, 3-6 3PT, 2-2 FT, +14

This was almost certainly D’Lo’s best game of the season. Although he had some moments as a playmaker this season, he wasn’t able to score as many points.

He found his rhythm on Friday, including two big shots in the fourth quarter. Hopefully this gives his season a boost because his value drops significantly if he doesn’t score.

Grade: A-

Austin Reaves

34 minutes, 20 points, 1 rebound, 6 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 4-13 FG, 0-6 3PT, 12-14 FT, -3

In the first half I thought Reaves played well as he was 4-for-6 from the field and missed his only 3-point attempt. But whether it was the knee/ankle injury he suffered just before halftime or something else, he was pathetic shooting the ball in the second half.

And yet he still found a way to keep getting to the finish line and clawing his way to a 20-point game. It was ugly, it was reminiscent of James Harden, but it was effective and the Lakers needed it.

Grade: B-

Jaxson Hayes

15 minutes, 4 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1-1 FG, 2-2 FT, +2

Overall, I liked Jaxson’s energy that night. But his minutes also coincided with the Lakers seemingly bleeding points. I would attribute some of this to the Lakers giving up a lot of baseline backcuts that he couldn’t stop at the rim. Overall, the Lakers’ defense needs to get much better.

Degree; b

Gabe Vincent

21 minutes, 2 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1-6 FG, 0-4 3PT, -4

I would like to believe that adapting to a new system is a process for everyone. And I’d like to think that Vincent will need some time after missing virtually an entire season.

But man, he really sucks up a lot of optimism. That was a tough performance. Although basically every Laker had at least some period of time where they played well, Vincent struggled the entire time.

The best thing for Vincent is that Jarred Vanderbilt is not healthy. Otherwise, his spot in the rotation could be in jeopardy.

Grade: F

Max Christie

13 minutes, 7 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1-1 FG, 5-5 FT, +7

It was nice to see Christie have a positive game for perhaps the first time this regular season. That most of it came at the free throw line may not be the most ideal outcome, but beggars can’t make decisions.

Also, please discuss with Max whether he should do a two-handed dunk at the rim every time.

Grade: B+

Dalton Knecht

19 minutes, 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2-5 FG, 1-3 3PT, +4

Knecht is starting to figure some things out and it’s nice to see. There will be an adjustment period where he will learn how to compete against real NBA players, not players who play garbage time at the end of the bench.

But there are still the moments and flashes that give a lot of optimism.

Grade: B

Bronny James

Why did he check in? Was it because the fans were chanting for him? Let’s not make this a thing.

JJ Redick

In a game like this with such a big comeback, there is a lot of focus on using timeouts to stop runs. I actually had no complaints. Every timeout felt like it came at the right moment, but he also held them at times and let the Lakers figure some things out.

He also tweaked the rotation with great success, mixing things up to put Austin and LeBron together and D’Lo and AD together. It helped the team hang on at the end of the first quarter when they usually get beaten down.

Grade: A-

DNPs from Friday: Cam Reddish

Inactive on Friday: Jalen Hood-Schifino, Christian Koloko, Maxwell Lewis, Quincy Olivari, Armel Traore, Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Wood