Three Things to Know: Lakers at Raptors 4-2-24

The Lakers (42-33) are north of the border in Toronto to face off against the Raptors (23-51) for the final time this season. The game tips off at 4:00 p.m. on Spectrum SportsNet.

Below are three things to know ahead of the matchup.

RUI'S MARCH MADNESS
March was one of Rui Hachimura's best months of his career, and easily his best since coming to the Lakers before last season's trade deadline. In the 14 games he played last month, Rui averaged 17.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists on 59.4% shooting from the field overall and a blistering 47.3% shooting from behind the arc.

Rui consistently made defenses pay from everywhere on the court, sinking spot up threes, attacking closeouts for strong finishes in and around the paint, slashing his way into dunks, and slipping into the cracks of the defense for his mid-range jumper. He scored consistently and with high efficiency, shooting under 50% from the field just three times, and scoring in single digits just twice while dropping 20 or more points five times.

And while these results should be celebrated, it is really the process that has led to his production that should be highlighted.

Rui has shown a great understanding of where his shots will come from and how to put himself into those positions and be available to make those defenses pay. Possession after possession he will make a well-timed cut along the baseline or down the lane, smartly relocate into a passing window as a release valve, or simply run a lane hard to receive a transition pass that he can then take all the way to the rim for an easy finish.

Needless to say, Rui has been high-level contributor and his uptick in play has come right when the team is playing its best basketball. Which, really, is not a coincidence. Because as Rui makes defenses pay and devote more resources to him, it only helps his superstar teammates further extend their own advantages, which translates to even more success for the team as a whole.

THE WEST KEEPS WINNING
While the Lakers have won seven of their last 10 games and are playing some of their best basketball of the season lately, they are not alone. There's a reason why despite winning at the clip they have been the team is still in 9th place in the conference, and it's because most of the conference continues to do mirror the Lakers results by winning at a similar (or better) rate.

Heading into Tuesday's games, all but three teams in the top 11 have won their last game and several teams are either on a multiple game streak or have just come off one.

The Rockets, for example, won 11 straight before losing their last game to the Mavericks -- the same Dallas team that has won seven in a row and nine of their last 10. The Warriors have won four in a row to stabilize themselves after a rough patch, while the Kings (three of their last five) and Suns (five of seven) are also finding ways to win games despite dealing with player availability and injury challenges night to night.

The one team in the top eight who is currently scuffling some, however, is the Pelicans. Dealing with a key injury to Brandon Ingram, New Orleans has lost two straight and three of their last four (albeit to some really strong opponents). Their remaining schedule is also challenging -- like it is with the Suns and the Kings -- and with Ingram's injury uncertainty, they are now a team to watch as a potential candidate to fall in the standings, and potentially even be caught by the Lakers.

With that, here is an update on where things stand with what it would take for the Lakers to catch the teams ahead of them when accounting for already established tiebreakers (Kings and Mavs over Lakers; Lakers over Suns):

There are many moving parts here, but some head-to-head matchups -- the Lakers, Suns, and Kings all have games remaining against the Pelicans this season -- will have a greater say in how things shake out. So, if the Lakers can continue to play well, there is still room for them to move up in the standings, even as the rest of the conference plays well along side of them.

MATCHUP WITH TORONTO
The Raptors entered this season as a team at the crossroads of trying to remain competitive or to strategically rebuild by making trades that could cost them this season but set them up to mak a run as soon as next year. They chose the latter path, trading Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Dennis Schröder in separate deals that brought back rotation players and draft capital that they can add to reigning rookie of the year Scottie Barnes to form the foundation of the next good Raptors team.

After those trades, however, the rest of the season has mostly been a struggle and especially so lately. Dealing with multiple injuries -- including to the aforementioned Barnes who is out for the season -- Toronto has lost 13 straight games and has fallen all the way to 12th in the conference and the sixth worst record in the league. Against the Lakers, however, they will get some reinforcements back as both R.J. Barrett and Immanuel Quickley are expected to return.

That said, Toronto's injury report is still extensive. They will still be without starting big man Jakob Poeltl, forward Chris Boucher, wing Ochai Agbaji, and backup shooter Gary Trent Jr., leaving them a thin on the bench and without a lot of size in the front court to contend with LeBron and AD.

Which brings us to tonight's contest.

The Raptors will get some of their talented players back and there will be a bit more juice in the building -- as there usually is -- with the Lakers in town. But, the Lakers will have some advantages in the paint and if they can establish their presence inside early they can work inside-out and dictate the terms of engagement. This is particularly true of AD, who will likely see a lot of minutes against Kelly Olynyk in the paint.

Further, if the Lakers can keep up their level of defensive intensity by defending the perimeter against Quickley, Barrett, and Bruce Brown, and then ensuring they are discipline in their transition defense, they can put pressure on Toronto's offense to keep pace by scoring in the halfcourt and, potentially, into making the types of mistakes that can fuel the Lakers own transition game.