The Toronto Raptors will host the Los Angeles Lakers at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday.

The Raptors (23-51) are waiting for the end of the 2023-24 season to see how high they might pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. That’s the only motivation the team has left, as it’s already out of the playoff race in the Eastern Conference by a wide margin. The Raptors have not been playing well this season, but the constant personnel changes have not helped the organization, either. The current roster is almost unrecognizable compared to the one that opened the campaign, with most players already traded or injured. Toronto can’t even rely on two new acquisitions, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, as both have missed considerable time recently. To make things even more complicated, the Raptors are on a dreadful run of form. Their 135-120 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday extended their losing skid to 13 games.

The Raptors are listing RJ Barrett (personal) and Immanuel Quickley (personal) as game-time calls for Sunday. Chris Boucher (knee), D.J. Carton (ankle), Ochai Agbaji (hip), Gary Trent (rest), Scottie Barnes (hand), Jakob Poeltl (finger) and Jontay Porter (personal) are out.

The Lakers (42-33) are fighting to secure a playoff spot in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. On that note, their 116-104 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday was a step in the right direction. Not only did the Lakers get back to winning ways following an ugly 109-90 loss to the Indiana Pacers last week, but they did it by virtue of LeBron James, who stepped up when the team needed him the most to score 40 points in just 17 shots (13-17 FG). The Lakers have also won four of their last five, and the team has gone 3-1 in their current road trip, including a win over a championship-caliber squad such as the Milwaukee Bucks. The Lakers are trending in the right direction and could take another step toward the postseason if they get past a struggling Toronto team.

The Lakers are listing LeBron James (ankle), Anthony Davis (knee) and Jaxson Hayes (calf) as questionable to play Tuesday. Cam Reddish (personal), Jarred Vanderbilt (foot), Gabe Vincent (knee) and Christian Wood (knee) as out. Jalen Hood-Schifino (back) is out for the season.