LeBron James (sciatica) is out to begin the season. While that should mean more scoring opportunities for Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, don’t forget about Rui Hachimura. He averaged 13.1 points per game last season and has shot at least 41.3% from behind the arc in both of his full seasons with Lakers. The best backup forwards that the Lakers have right now are Jake LaRavia, Jarred Vanderbilt and Dalton Knecht, so it’s not exactly an inspiring second unit. Hachimura could blow past 30 minutes in this game. I think Doncic helps get him enough quality looks to hit this over.

Yep, LeBron James will sit this one out, and might not show up on the floor until around Veteran's Day as he deal with a sciatica problem that will delay his debut. We'll see if it's his last debut as rumors are rampant at pending retirement, but for the moment consider that Luka Doncic looks ready to deal from the outset, and note the Lakers outscored foes by 16 points per 100 possessions in the 417 minutes that Doncic was on the floor minus LeBron last season. We also wonder about the Warriors, whose lineup could have three players 35+ on the floor, though that concern might surface more later in the season. Play Lakers

Austin Reaves actually averaged slightly fewer 3s at home (2.7) than on the road (2.8) and his over percentage was 50% at home (vs 58% on the road). Other high volume three-point shooting guards who averaged 2.5 to 3 made threes also averaged 2.7 on their home court vs the Warriors but the over percentage was just 40%. The Warriors' defense significantly improved when they acquired Jimmy Butler and I want to benefit from that factor before injuries start hitting. When you add in Al Horford, who is used to playing on the perimeter both defensively and offensively, the Warriors may be sneaky great defensively when healthy.