LOS ANGELES (AP) — Only two players in the entire luminous history of the Los Angeles Lakers had made at least 10 shots without a miss and grabbed at least 10 rebounds in a game before Sunday night.
Deandre Ayton joined the club with a performance that demonstrated everything the Lakers hoped they would get from the former No. 1 pick when they signed him last summer.
Ayton scored 25 points on 10-for-10 shooting and added 13 rebounds in the Lakers' 110-93 victory over the undersized Toronto Raptors, dominating in the paint while Los Angeles claimed only its second victory in seven games.
“That’s pretty cool,” Ayton said. “I definitely give it up to my teammates. They find me in the easiest spots ever. ... That’s things that I never thought I would even be a part of. I’m definitely honored and appreciative, but I love this game, so hopefully I get more of those.”
Ayton became the 34th player in NBA history to make at least 10 shots without a miss while also grabbing at least 10 boards. He joined Wilt Chamberlain (March 11, 1969) and Mitch Kupchak (Nov. 20, 1981) as the only ones to do it in Lakers history.
None of Ayton's 10 shots was longer than 8 feet. He repeatedly converted lobs in the paint — a job for which the Lakers desperately need their center to excel when Luka Doncic or LeBron James get the defense's attention.
Doncic, whose lob passes sometimes don't find a capable target, was grateful to see Ayton being engaged and active in the paint.
“When he plays like this, focused on both ends, it helps us a lot. Helps us win games,” Doncic said. “He’s a very important guy for us. Very important on both ends of the floor. We’ve got to look for him more, and if he plays like this, we have a better chance to win.”
Ayton also blocked a shot while playing solid interior defense, and he didn't make a turnover in nearly 33 minutes. Lakers coach JJ Redick has repeatedly stressed the importance of getting Ayton involved on the offensive end, and his team delivered.
“As a big (man) in particular, you’re involved in a lot of plays where you don’t touch the ball,” Redick said. “A big is typically screening a lot, rolling, so you’re doing a lot and you don’t always get rewarded. So I think it’s important that we continue to look for him.”
Ayton missed the Lakers' loss at Portland on Saturday night because of a sore knee, and his production has been inconsistent lately after a strong start to the season.
He scored in single digits in three games earlier in January, but his 25-point burst was his second highest-scoring game in a Lakers uniform, topped by only his 29-point performance against San Antonio on Nov. 3.
Redick acknowledged earlier this month that Ayton occasionally gets frustrated about his lack of offensive touches.
The Lakers got the ball to Ayton repeatedly against the Raptors, who are basically playing without a center in the injury absence of Jakob Poeltl. Collin Murray-Boyles, a 6-foot-7 forward, essentially played center at times for a roster with nobody listed taller than 6-foot-9.
Ayton had an advantage, and he seized it while leading the Lakers (25-16) to a victory before they head out on a taxing eight-game road trip over the next two-plus weeks.
“It’s hard what he’s doing, especially (when) he’s not getting many touches like he used to do,” Lakers forward Rui Hachimura said. “I think he’s doing a good job on those easy shots, especially when Luka and LeBron get a lot of attention and he gets to those spaces and gets easy shots. He’s got to keep doing that for us.”
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Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) defends as Toronto Raptors guard Jamal Shead (23) shoots during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Toronto Raptors forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) is fouled by Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) goes up for a basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors in Los Angeles, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Corporate chiefs and government leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump swarm into Davos, Switzerland this week, joining an elite annual meeting that promotes dialogue and economic progress — even as a domineering tone from Washington has upended the global order and billionaires have reaped trillions in new wealth as the poor lag behind.
The World Economic Forum, the think tank whose four-day annual meeting opens Tuesday, has a stated motto of “improving the state of the world," and this year's theme is “A spirit of dialogue.” One question is whether Trump will speak with attendees — or at them.
Nearly 3,000 attendees from the interlinked worlds of business, advocacy and policy will tackle issues including the growing gap between rich and poor; AI's impact on jobs; concerns about geo-economic conflict; tariffs that have rocked longstanding trade relationships; and an erosion of trust between communities and countries.
“It’s really going to be a discussion at a very important moment ... geopolitics is changing," said Mirek Dušek, a forum managing director in charge of programming. "Some people think we’re in a transition. Some people think we’ve already entered a new era. But I think it’s undeniable that you are seeing a more competitive, more contested landscape.”
Trump’s third visit to Davos as president comes as U.S. allies worry about his ambition to take over Greenland, Latin America is grappling with his efforts to reap Venezuela’s oil, and his hardball tactics toward Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell have stirred concern among business leaders and lawmakers alike.
Trump’s peace-making credentials also will be on the table: An announcement looms about his “ Board of Peace ” for Gaza, and he and his administration are expected to have bilateral meetings in the warren of side rooms at the Congress Center.
The U.S. leader seems to revel in strolling through the Davos Congress Center and among executives who back his business-minded, money-making approach to politics.
Critics will also be nearby: He’s blown hot and cold recently with Colombian President Gustavo Petro, an invitee; Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of Iran, whose leaders face U.S. sanctions over their handling of recent protests, will be on hand.
The two likeliest counterweights to Trump’s administration on the international scene — China and the European Union — get top billing on the first day of the event: EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will speak Tuesday morning, right before Vice Premier He Lifeng, China’s “economic czar” — as Dušek put it.
The forum will be without its founder, Klaus Schwab, who hosted the first event in Davos 55 years ago focusing on business, only to see it since balloon into a catchall extravaganza. He stepped down in April. New co-chairs Larry Fink, the head of investment firm BlackRock, and Andre Hoffman, vice chair of pharmaceuticals firm Roche, are in charge.
This year will also mark the debut appearance of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, arguably the world’s most important tech leader today, among some 850 CEOs and chairs of global companies – along with some celebrities like Hollywood actor and safe-water advocate Matt Damon.
The future of AI, its impact on business and work, and the prospects for artificial general intelligence will be key themes.
The presidents of Argentina, France, Indonesia, Syria and Ukraine will be among the dozens of national leaders on hand.
Leading public-relations firm Edelman reports in its annual trust barometer – launched a quarter-century ago and this year surveying nearly 34,000 people in 28 countries – that trade and recession fears have climbed to an all-time high, optimism is falling especially in developed countries, and “grievance” last year has morphed into broader “insularity.”
“People are retreating from dialogue and compromise, choosing the safety of the familiar over the perceived risk of change,” said CEO Richard Edelman. “We favor nationalism over global connection and individual gain over joint progress. Our mentality has shifted from ‘we’ to ‘me’.”
The survey found that about two-third of respondents said their trust was concentrated toward CEOs of the companies that they work for, fellow citizens or neighbors, while nearly 70% believed institutional leaders – such as from business or government – deliberately mislead the public.
Oxfam, the world-renowned advocacy group, issued a report ahead of the Davos event which showed that billionaire wealth rose by more than 16% last year, three times faster than the past five-year average, to more than $18 trillion. It drew on Forbes magazine data on the world’s richest people.
Oxfam said the $2.5 trillion rise in the wealth of billionaires last year would be enough to eradicate extreme poverty 26 times over. Their wealth has risen by more than four-fifths since 2020, while nearly half the world’s population lives in poverty, the group said.
The Trump administration has led a “pro-billionaire agenda,” the group said, through actions such as slashing taxes for the wealthiest, fostering the growth of AI-related stocks that help rich investors get richer, and thwarting efforts to tax giant companies.
The advocacy group wants more national efforts to reduce inequality, higher taxes on the ultra-rich to reduce their power, and greater limits on their ability to shape policy through lobbying.
With such concerns filtering through to policymakers, Trump, who is leading the biggest-ever U.S. delegation and will have about a half-dozen Cabinet secretaries in tow, is expected to discuss housing and affordability in his Davos speech on Wednesday.
As usual, protesters rallied over the weekend in and near Davos ahead of the event. Hundreds of marchers scaled an Alpine road up to the town on Saturday behind a banner in German that read “No Profit from War” and alongside a truck that bore a sign: World Economic Failure.
Companies like Microsoft, India's Tata Consultancy, social media titan TikTok and cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike have joined governments from countries like Nigeria, Qatar, Ukraine and the United States — a USA House is making a debut this year — to set up shop on the Davos Promenade to promote their services, products and national economies.
Davos storekeepers rent out their premises so that forum participants can have the prime real estate for the week.
Critics have long accused the annual meeting in Davos of generating more rhetoric than results, and they see Trump's return as sign of the disconnect between haves and have-nots. Some say Swiss leaders who support the event and flock to Davos too are adding to the problem.
“It is worrying how Swiss politicians are courting warmongers and their profiteers in Davos,” said Mirjam Hostetmann, president of Switzerland's Young Socialists, who have led protests against the event. “The WEF will never bring peace, but will only fuel escalation.”
A man installs a microphone for the opening concert of the Annnual Meeting of the World Economy Forum at the Congress Center in Davos, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Posters cover the church hosting the United States House on the eve of the start of the Annual Meeting of the World Economy Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
The windows of the Congress Center, center top, where the Annual Meeting of the World Economy Forum take place are illuminated in Davos, Switzerland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
FILE - Attendees listen to a virtual speech delivered by U.S. president Donald Trump, at the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, file)
The logo of the World Economy Forum is displayed on a window of the Congress Center where the Annual Meeting Forum take place in Davos, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
