Three pre- season games on schedule for Raptors

The NBA set in place a 49- game pre- season schedule on Friday, with practice games taking place Dec. 11-19 in advance of the Dec. 22 start to the regular season. Each team will play at least two pre-season games, with the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers playing four times before the delayed regular season gets underway just before Christmas. Five games are scheduled for the Dec. 11 opening night of pre- season games, highlighted by a matchup between the Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers. The Toronto Raptors will play three pre-season games, including a home game at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. The Raptors will begin the regular season with home games at Tampa after the Canadian government ruled that the team would not be able to play host to opponents in its own arena. The schedule for the first half of the season is expected to be released in the coming days. A secondhalf schedule will be released later and include any first-half games that had to be postponed because of COVID-19 concerns.