The Los Angeles Lakers will be without Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and a host of other players as they look to complete a four-game sweep of the Golden State Warriors.
In games played in the United States, the Lakers have looked absolutely dominant over the Warriors in their first three matchups. James and Davis played in two of those three games, which turned into 22- and 33-point wins. And when neither team played their best players, the Lakers still took home a six-point win.
The Lakers have looked like a championship-level team in all phases during the 2019 NBA preseason. James and Davis look absolutely dominant as a duo with each playing what looks like some of their best basketball. Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee, should they keep up their current style of play, are on pace for career seasons.
Avery Bradley, Danny Green, Quinn Cook, and the other guards on the team have looked like they’re going to benefit greatly from the offensive gravity that James and Davis bring to the court.
On the Warriors side of things, they look like a team with a ton of talented guards, but they might struggle to play any decent defense this season. Against the Lakers, they’ve simply been moved at will due to their lack of size. Stephen Curry and D’Angelo Russell have looked good and hopefully, that will be enough to sustain them before Klay Thompson‘s return.
The Lakers will obviously have a ton of players missing from their main lineup as they prepare for the Oct. 22 season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers. James and Davis will be out as well as Howard, McGee, Bradley, Green, Rajon Rondo, and Cook. In addition, Kyle Kuzma remains out with his stress reaction.
On the other hand, the Warriors are looking to play all of their starters. Curry, Russell, and Draymond Green will all be in uniform for the game, but they’ll have to figure out a new piece of the lineup after surprisingly waiving Alfonzo McKinnie.
The Warriors waived McKinnie to make room for Marquese Chriss on the final roster, but the latter is simply not a starter-level player in this league. The Warriors will likely use the final game to figure out what their direction is for the season opener.
Los Angeles Lakers (3-2) vs. Golden State Warriors (1-3)
7:30 P.M. PT, Oct. 18, 2019
Chase Center, San Francisco, California
TV: NBATV, Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: 710 AM (ESPN), 1330 KWKW (Spanish)
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: Alex Caruso
SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SF: Troy Daniels
PF: Jared Dudley
C: Devontae Cacok
Key Reserves: Kostas Antetokounmpo, Demetrius Jackson
Projected Warriors Starting Lineup:
PG: Stephen Curry
SG: D’Angelo Russell
SF: Jordan Poole
PF: Draymond Green
C: Marquese Chriss
Key Reserves: Eric Paschall, Damion Lee, Jacob Evans, Andrew Harrison
