Toronto @ Los Angeles preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 14, 2019 ) L.A. Lakers 98, Toronto 111

The Los Angeles Lakers look very much like contenders for an NBA championship with the combination of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but the road to the title still runs through Toronto. The Lakers will try to keep proving themselves when they host the defending-champion Raptors on Sunday.

Los Angeles knew it had the potential to be a great defensive team with James and Davis leading the way and turned in its finest effort of the young season on that end while holding the Miami Heat to 35 percent shooting, including 6-of-35 from 3-point range, in Friday's 95-80 win. "To be honest, that's just us, period," James told reporters. "That's who we are, we've been doing this all year. We don't expect to hold teams at 80, but we expect to defend every single game and make it tough on teams." The Raptors will be missing a few key pieces from the 2018-19 championship squad on Sunday with Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard on the Los Angeles Clippers, Serge Ibaka out with a sprained ankle and Kyle Lowry out with a fractured thumb. Ibaka and Lowry were both hurt on Friday during a 122-104 win over the New Orleans Pelicans as Pascal Siakam picked up the slack with 44 points.

TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, TSN 4/5 (Toronto), Spectrum SportsNet (Los Angeles)

ABOUT THE RAPTORS (6-2): Siakam is trying to step into the role vacated by Leonard as the star of the team and showed off his diverse skillset by going 17-of-28 from the floor, 5-of-10 from beyond the arc, and adding 10 rebounds and four assists on Friday. "He's got the green light to make any move he wants at this point," Toronto coach Nick Nurse told reporters of Siakam. "No, I'm serious, man. We're just trying to get him to see how far he can go here. Drive it, post it, shoot the 3, drive it in transition, play pick-and-roll; we want him to get as many reps as he can." Siakam recorded a double-double in each of the last two games and is averaging 27.9 points and 9.3 rebounds.

ABOUT THE LAKERS (7-1): James had a streak of three straight triple-doubles come to an end when he settled for 25 points, six assists and four rebounds on Friday, but his team remains impressed. "The guy is incredible," Los Angeles coach Frank Vogel told reporters of James. "He's giving it all to this team and really impacting both ends of the floor. The biggest impact probably is how he is setting a tone. He's setting a tone for our group with how hard he is playing on defense, how willing he is to pass the basketball offensively and obviously he's got the ability to make big shots in the clutch. So, the guy is just incredible." James is averaging 26 points, 10.5 assists and 7.8 rebounds while Davis is posting 26.5 points and 10.5 boards.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Lakers G Avery Bradley (leg) managed nine points in 25 minutes Friday after sitting out the previous game.

2. Lowry, who had surgery to repair ligaments over the summer on the same thumb he injured Friday, will be reevaluated in two weeks..

3. Toronto owns a nine-game winning streak in the series, including four in a row at Los Angeles.

PREDICTION: Lakers 102, Raptors 99