Tip-off: Wednesday, 10:30 p.m. ET
Line: Houston -6.0, Total: N/A

The Rockets will be looking to get their season off to a good start when they face the inexperienced Lakers on Wednesday.

Houston had a bit of a disappointing season last year, but the team was still able to make the playoffs and definitely made some roster upgrades as well. Aside from bringing in the innovative Mike D’Antoni to install his up-tempo, high pick-and-roll offense, the Rockets also added SG Eric Gordon (15.2 PPG last season) and PF Ryan Anderson (17.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG last season). Both guys should really make life on SG James Harden (29.0 PPG, 7.5 APG, 6.1 RPG, 1.7 SPG last season) easier. The Lakers, meanwhile, brought in Luke Walton as the new head coach of this team. Walton will look to implement some of the concepts he learned when he worked under Steve Kerr in Golden State. As for the Lakers’ roster, the team was able to add SF Luol Deng (12.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.0 SPG last season) and C Timofey Mozgov (6.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG last season) in free agency and SF Brandon Ingram through the draft. The Lakers will be hoping that some of these new additions can help them defeat the Rockets on Wednesday. Houston has dominated Los Angeles over the years, as the team is 6-1 both SU and ATS when facing the Lakers over the past three seasons and that includes a 4-0 record both SU and ATS when facing them in Staples Center. The Rockets will, however, be without PG Patrick Beverley (Knee) for the next 4-6 weeks and the Lakers will be playing this one at close to full strength.

With Mike D’Antoni running the Rockets, James Harden could be in for a career year. Harden is going to be playing the point guard position for Houston and that means he’ll have the ball in his hands more than ever before. This offensive system will provide him with a ton of space to get to the rim and he’ll also be surrounded by open shooters. That is where Anderson and Gordon come in. Both guys are absolute snipers from the outside and they’re going to make it very difficult on opposing teams to throw help Harden’s way. Look for the three of them to get off to hot starts against a Lakers team that is going to struggle defensively this season. SF Trevor Ariza (12.7 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.0 SPG last season) is another guy that can hit the three for this Rockets team, but he is also an excellent defender. Ariza’s fingerprints should be all over this game on Wednesday, as the Lakers’ young guards are prone to making mistakes and Ariza knows how to get into passing lanes. As for inside the paint, C Clint Capela (7.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.2 BPG last season) is going to need to step it up for Houston. Capela is taking over the starting center spot that was occupied by Dwight Howard last year. Those are not easy shoes to fill, but the Rockets will be happy as long as Capela is defending the rim and working hard on the glass.

The Lakers have a new head coach and they are hoping that Walton can bring the best out of guys like PG D’Angelo Russell (13.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.2 SPG last season), SG Jordan Clarkson (15.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.1 SPG last season), PF Julius Randle (11.3 PPG, 10.2 RPG last season) and rookie Brandon Ingram. Russell is the team’s most promising player and he should be a good fit in the type of offense the Warriors have been running. He is a very good shooter and has tremendous court vision, and he should benefit from the absence of Patrick Beverley on Wednesday. Beverley is one of the better defenders in the league at the point guard spot and would have given Russell a hard time. Clarkson should also be able to find some success in this game and throughout the season. He is very explosive off the dribble and knows how to get to the rim. His speed should give James Harden a lot of trouble on Wednesday. Randle, meanwhile, is one of the best rebounders in basketball and should be able to bully Ryan Anderson on the glass. He is incredibly powerful around the basket and the Lakers need him to really take a giant leap this season. If he can improve his jumper then he just might be able to turn himself into an All-Star.