The Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors open their respective 2022-23 NBA season adventures against each other this Wednesday. Will the Lakers score an upset victory right away? Or, will the Warriors kick off their title defense with a victory?

Catch this game live on Wednesday, October 19, at 10 am, Manila time.

Away: Los Angeles Lakers (0-0/0-0 Away)

Projected Starting Five:

• PG: Russell Westbrook (probable)
• SG: Lonnie Walker IV
• SF: LeBron James
• PF: Anthony Davis
• C: Thomas Bryant

The Lakers can’t wait for the regular season to start. They left a ton of LA fans frustrated and pessimistic about the upcoming campaign after a poor run in the preseason in which the team won just once in six games. That said, what happens in the preseason stays in the preseason. Plus, the lone Lakers win in that stretch was their 123-121 victory over the Warriors. LeBron James is turning 38 in December but he is still the alpha male in Hollywood after leading the Lakers with a 7.5 win share in the 2021-22 NBA campaign. 

James led the Lakers last season with 30.3 points per game on 52.5 FG%. Meanwhile, Anthony Davis is also starting the season healthy. Those two will have to carry most of the load anew for the Lakers, which won just once in four games against the Warriors last season but covered the spread in two of those contests. It is worth noting as well that Russell Westbrook (hamstring) is probable while Dennis Schroder (thumb surgery) is out for multiple weeks.

Home: Golden State Warriors (0-0/0-0 Home)

Projected Starting Five:

• PG: Stephen Curry
• SG: Klay Thompson
• SF: Andrew Wiggins
• PF: Draymond Green
• C: Kevon Looney

Offseason drama aside, the Warriors are still going to be a huge problem for the rest of the NBA. The defending NBA champions still have the core which led them to the title last season, including, of course, Stephen Curry, who averaged 25.5 points per game while shooting 38 3FG%. As a team, the Warriors put up 111.2 points per game, which was good for only 13th in the league but they were second overall with a 55.4 eFG%. 

Moreover, Golden State’s defense, which can sometimes be criminally underrated, held opponents to only 105.8 points per game and 541.2 eFG% – fourth and second overall in the NBA, respectively, last season. Golden State’s defense can’t be discussed without mentioning the name of Draymond Green, who is punchless offensively but can provide knockout blows on the other end of the court where he finished with a 102.9 defRTG last season – the best among Warriors players with at least 20 MPG. The Warriors are also getting back a healthy James Wiseman, who missed the entire 2021-22 season because of a knee injury. 

PREDICTIONS:

Spread: The Warriors (-6) cover the spread.

Over/Under: The total hits the Over(225.0).