NBA: Howard ejected, as Raptors roll over Lakers

The Toronto Raptors pounced on the vulnerable Los Angeles Lakers, dispatching their more ballyhooed opponents 108-103, in a game that was not as close as the final score would indicate, Sunday (early Monday, PHL time) at the Air Canada Center in Toronto.

The win allowed the Raptors to snap a four-game skid and move up to 15-26, while the Lakers lost their second straight to slump further to 17-23.

[Related: Heat pull away late, top Lakers]

The home team actually staked out an early 29-20 lead by the end of the first quarter, after leading by as much as 16 points. Come the second period, Dwight Howard would be ejected with 1:18 left in the half, after he and Alan Anderson were slapped with double technicals.

Howard had earlier received a technical foul in the first for pleading for a foul call.

Galvanized by the loss of their center, the Lakers came as close as two points, 51-49, on a triple by Metta World Peace, but Jose Calderon nailed a 20-footer to make it a two-possession lead at the half, 53-49.

The Raptors slowly began to rebuild their advantage after the break, closing out the third on an 11-3 run, as offseason acquisition Landry Field paced the team with 10 markers in the quarter. Anderson made it a 14-point game, 81-67, with a triple, but Kobe Bryant scored an and-one play in response. Fields then connected with a lay-up to make it 83-70.

In the last quarter, Toronto used a 10-2 run to establish their biggest lead of the game, 95-76, following back-to-back lay-ups by the Raptors, 7:30 remaining. But then it was their turn for their offense to grind to a halt, as the Lakers unloaded a 13-2 surge to get within seven, 99-92.

A three-pointer by Bryant made it a six-point affair with 1:35 left, 103-97, but Amir Johnson scored off an Anderson miss to boost it back to a three-possession Raptors lead. Following a timeout, Bryant was unable to make it two treys in a row, but they got the ball back after an offensive foul on Jose Calderon. Pau Gasol capitalized on his Spanish national squad teammate's error, getting a lay-up to go, but with less than half a minute to go, the Lakers had to begin fouling.

Two more Calderon freebies increased their lead back to eight, matched on the other end by foul shots by Nash. A split at the line by Anderson gave the Lakers hope, but Kobe missed anew from downtown. Fields then tacked on another split at the line to close the game out.

Calderon led Toronto with 22 points and nine assists, while Landry Fields and Ed Davis each scored 18 points in the victory. Alan Anderson came off the bench for 14 more markers, plus another eight dimes and three steals.

Kobe Bryant scored 26 points on 32 field goal attempts and turned the ball over six times for the Lakers. Pau Gasol added 25 points and five rebounds, while Steve Nash tallied 16 points and nine assists.

With Howard gone, the Lakers' already poor defense took a further hit, which resulted in Toronto shooting 54.8 percent from the field. LA on the other hand shot 43.2 percent. The Raptors were also helped out by by a superior assists mark, 27-to-20. - AMD, GMA News