The NBA is coming back July 30 and not a moment too soon for basketball fans who have been deprived a proper conclusion to the 2019-20 season since Rudy Gobert’s positive coronavirus test March 11 that set off the worldwide cascade of sports league cancellations. Now, the NBA will look to finish what it started with a 22-team “bubble” at the Disney Resorts in Orlando, an eight-game finish to the regular season and four best-of-7 playoff rounds to determine a champion. We take a look at each of the teams involved as we move closer to the official return and today we’ll look at the Los Angeles Lakers team in our Sports Intel preview:

Los Angeles Lakers Team Preview 2019-2020 Re-Boot

(49-14, 1st in West)

Where we left off:  No one can argue when you reach number one.  The Lakers exploded this season and continued to run strong both before and after the All-Star break.  Eight wins in the final ten games before COVID-19 caused the unexpected suspension of action shows the dominating power the Lakers have.  Although there were some non-serious injuries to contend with, all of that is now in the rear-view mirror, and the Lakers are ready to get back into battle.

Remaining schedule: July 30, LA Clippers; Aug. 1, Toronto Raptors; Aug. 3, Utah Jazz; Aug. 5, Oklahoma City Thunder; Aug. 6, Houston Rockets; Aug. 8, Indiana Pacers; Aug. 10, Denver Nuggets; Aug. 13: Brooklyn Nets.

Projected starting lineup: C: JaVale McGee, SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SF: Danny Green, PF: Anthony Davis, PG: LeBron James

Key injuries, absentees:  PG Avery Bradley (opt-out)

Odds to Win Title: 5/2

Can they win it all?  It’s probably fitting that the first game in the NBA reboot for the LA Lakers finds them taking on cross-town rivals.  The LA Clippers handed the Lakers a loss in the very first game of the season and it’s time to turn up the heat.  Although the Lakers already got their revenge, they will not have forgotten that game.  Tonight marks a significant milestone for the Lakers and, with King James looking for his fourth championship ring, there’s no doubt the team will do everything it can to make it all the way.  With the talents of LeBron and Davis, no one should be surprised to see the Lakers take the season victory.

Doing a team preview of this Lakers team ahead of the 2019-2020 season re-boot isn’t difficult, they are one of the teams to beat and although 5-2 is pretty shot in the NBA odds, it might be long enough for some money.