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Lakers look to clamp down on red-hot Bosh

Nov 30, 2008 - 7:47 AM Toronto (8-7) at LA Lakers (13-1), 9:30pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Over the last four weeks, Chris Bosh has been treating NBA defenses like so many small, younger siblings. The league's second-leading scorer will face arguably his stiffest test of the season on Sunday, facing a Los Angeles Lakers team that has been shutting down opposing big men all season.

The Lakers look to extend their winning streak to seven as they close out their five-game homestand against Bosh and the Toronto Raptors.

Bosh has been toying with the league, carrying the Raptors with 27.7 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while continuing to establish himself as one of the premier players in the game. He posted 40 points and 18 boards against Orlando two weeks ago, and followed that up three nights later with a 42-point effort.

On Wednesday, he shot 15-of-20 from the field en route to 39 points to lead Toronto to a 93-86 triumph over Charlotte.

The Lakers pose a threat to his torrid scoring pace. They have held some of the league's top big men in check while racing to a 13-1 start. They limited Yao Ming to 12 points, Dirk Nowitzki to 19 and 12, LaMarcus Aldridge to eight, Chris Kaman to eight and six and held All-Star Amare Stoudemire - who is shooting at a blistering 57 percent clip this campaign - to just 9-of-21 from the floor.

The Lakers' long, athletic frontcout - led by the likes of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum - has made it difficult for opponents to find much room inside. Pistons forward/center Rasheed Wallace did some damage against Los Angeles in its lone loss, collecting 25 and 13 boards to lead Detroit to a 95-86 win. That kind of breakout performance has been the exception, not the rule.

The Lakers won both meetings with the Raptors last season - though Bosh missed one of them with a sore right knee. In his one appearance against L.A., he shot just 7-of-22 but still managed to put up 22 points and 15 rebounds in a losing cause.