The Lakers can exhale. Briefly. After finishing a grueling five-game stretch in seven days with a 110-93 win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, they embark on their longest road trip of the season, an eight-game marathon beginning Tuesday in Denver. The Lakers (25-16) are clinging to a top-six playoff spot at the midpoint of the season despite playing 19 different starting lineups in the first 41 games. With guard Luka Doncic and centers Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes back in the lineup after they were sidelined against Portland on Saturday, the Lakers notched their first win over a team with a winning record since Dec. 14. “We’re staying together,” Ayton said. “There’s times where we’ve...
