The struggling Los Angeles Lakers were unable to solve their mounting problems in the National Basketball Association as the Toronto Raptors handed them a 108-103 defeat.
This season has not gone according to script for the Lakers, who have had 17 wins and 23 defeats and Toronto handed them their fifth consecutive away defeat.
The Lakers have only won two more games than the Raptors and are now 11th in the 15-team Western Conference.
The Raptors took control in the opening quarter of the game and built a 19-point lead, and a resilient defence meant they were able to hold on and win the game.
The Lakers showed flashes of their potential in the second half as Kobe Bryant finished with a game-high 26 points and Steve Nash added 16 points and nine assists but it was not enough to overturn the Raptors' early lead.
