The Lakers (24-15) will be on the second night of a back-to-back as they host the Toronto Raptors (25-18) at home on Sunday. It will be the last time we see the Raptors this season.
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WHO: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Toronto Raptors
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When: 6:30 p.m. PT, Jan. 18
Where: Crypto.com Arena
Watch: Spectrum Sportsnet
The Lakers are out of juice right now. Their recent loss to the Trail Blazers illustrated that and it doesn’t help that they are in the midst of one of the toughest stretches in their schedule. As a result, they have lost six of their last ten games and are now down to sixth place in the Western Conference.
There are a lot of obstacles in the purple and gold’s way right now: key players coming in and out of the lineup, the absence of Austin Reaves and the fact that their flaws, especially on the defensive side of the ball, have been more exposed as of late. Obviously there is no solution to this except health and trade, which is currently out of their hands.
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What the Lakers cannot control is their effort in every game, which they must do if they want to stop losing games.
On Sunday, the Lakers face a really good Raptors team, which won’t be easy to play in a row. This is the best the Raptors have looked in years because Brandon Ingram has been a huge asset, averaging 21.8 points per game. Knowing that he’s playing in the Lakers’ zone on Sunday, it’s fair to expect him to go all out this time. It helps that Ingram has reliable players around him like Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley, who is listed as questionable.
The biggest strength for the Raptors all season has been their defense, which ranks fifth in the league. It’s especially good during the catch, until Los Angeles needed a game-winner from Rui Hachimura to save them in their last game against the Raptors. Toronto has a penchant for keeping games close and excels in the clutch, which explains why they’re the third-best team in the league in late-game situations — just behind the Lakers and Thunder.
It will be hard to ask the Lakers to beat a younger team given the way they are playing right now, but it is also something they have accomplished in the past. The last time they were blown out on the first night of a back-to-back, they put together one of their best performances the following night. I hope it’s the same this time because they couldn’t win in their difficult phase right now.
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Notes and reviews
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On the Raptors injury report, RJ Barrett (left ankle sprain), Jakob Poeltl (back strain) and Ja’Kobe Walter (right hip strain) are out. Immanuel Quickley (back spasms) and Jamison Battle (ankle sprain) are questionable.
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Since they played on Saturday, the Lakers have not released an injury report. But as expected, Austin Reaves (left calf strain) and Adou Thiero (right MCL sprain) will be out.
You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.
