Toronto @ Philadelphia preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 23, 2017 ) Philadelphia 86, Toronto 102

While the Toronto Raptors are coming off a difficult homestand with two rare losses at Air Canada Centre, the Philadelphia 76ers should be a well-rested squad when they host the Raptors in a Martin Luther King Day matinee on Monday. The Sixers will be playing for the second time in 10 days, with the 114-103 loss to Boston in London on Thursday the only game action in that stretch.

They had won four in a row before falling to the rival Celtics overseas. The Raptors, meanwhile, played four games in a six-day stretch capped by Saturday's 127-125 loss to Golden State to end a 1-2 homestand. DeMar DeRozan scored 42 points and helped fuel a second-half rally in which Toronto outscored the defending champs 71-46. "We went out there and just played [all] out," DeRozan told reporters of the comeback. "We didn't think too much, we just went out there and played hard. We were just too antsy [in first half], jumping at everything they did, over-reacting. In the second half we just buckled down and stayed silent."

TV: 1 p.m. ET, TSN (Toronto), NBCS Philadelphia

ABOUT THE RAPTORS (29-12): The key factor in the 1-2 homestand - which follows up a 14-1 start at home - was the absence of point guard Kyle Lowry, who missed all three games with a back issue and is day-to-day. DeRozan struggled a bit with his accuracy in the loss to Miami on Tuesday and the win over Cleveland on Thursday before going 17-for-31 against the Warriors. The three-time All-Star is averaging 34.7 points on 56.6 percent shooting in three meetings - all wins - against the Sixers this season.

ABOUT THE 76ERS (19-20): The limited game schedule should help oft-injured center Joel Embiid, who has nursed hand and back injuries and was not entirely pleased with the trip to London. "I started off really frustrated by the way everything was set up and from there if I'm not having fun ... then usually I have a bad game," Embiid told reporters after going for 16 points on 6-of-17 shooting. "I was just not in the rhythm. I didn't do a good job of letting my teammates find me either." J.J. Redick had a team-high 22 points and he scored at least 20 in four straight games, his longest stretch of the season.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Toronto PG Delon Wright is averaging 7.7 points on 40.9 percent shooting in three straight starts in place of Lowry after putting up 8.8 on 50.9 percent in 26 games off the bench.

2. Redick missed the last two losses to the Raptors and was limited to six points on 2-of-8 shooting in the first meeting, a 128-94 loss at Toronto on Oct. 21.

3. Sixers PG Ben Simmons is averaging 20.5 points on 59.3 percent from the field over his last four games.

PREDICTION: Raptors 112, 76ers 108