Lakers News: Kawhi Leonard, Clippers Aren't Favored Over LeBron James, Anthony Davis In 2019 Opener

Opening night for the 2019-2020 NBA season features one of the most highly anticipated games of the entire year. The two favorites in the Western Conference will meet when the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers do battle at Staples Center.

The Lakers have the NBA’s best duo in LeBron James and Anthony Davis, though the rest of the roster is filled with question marks. The Clippers added reigning NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to a 48-win team that retained many of its key players.

The Clippers are the favorites to win next year’s championship, per OddsShark, putting them ahead of the Lakers. That, however, doesn’t mean Los Angeles’ second franchise is expected to win their first game.

The early betting odds at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook have the Oct. 22 contest as a pick’em. The total is 227.5.

The Clippers will technically be the home team, and they might be favored over the Lakers later in the season. The Clippers won’t be at full strength with George expected to miss the start of the year because of offseason shoulder surgery.

With their eyes on winning the first championship in team history, the Clippers will likely be cautious when it comes to the health of their stars. Even if Leonard remains relatively healthy, it won’t be surprising if he misses close to 25 percent of the season, once again, because of load management.

Patrick Beverley, Landry Shamet, Montrezl Harrell and Ivica Zubac will likely join Leonard in the starting lineup on Opening Night.

James was limited to 55 games in his first season as a Laker because of a groin injury. The three-time champion hadn’t missed more than 15 games in a year before the 2018-2019 season.

Davis missed 26 games last season, though much of that was due to his trade request from the New Orleans Pelicans.

Kyle Kuzma and Danny Green are expected to be in the starting lineup alongside James and Davis. If James plays point guard, as Yahoo Sports has reported, DeMarcus Cousins could be the starting center with Davis playing power forward.

The Lakers and Clippers split their two head-to-head matchups last season.