Clippers @ Lakers

Who will WIN this matchup?

Los Angeles Clippers

@ Los Angeles Lakers

Current odds:

Los Angeles Clippers: (-240)

Los Angeles Lakers: (+200)

• The line for this game is Clippers by 6.5 points.

• Ball, 19, joins swingman Brandon Ingram, 20, and forward Julius Randle, 22, in a promising young core, and he is expected to start the opener after missing time in the preseason with a sprained left ankle. “Lonzo showed why he’s going to be really good, but he also showed that he’s been out for a couple of weeks with some of the turnovers that he had,” Los Angeles coach Luke Walton told reporters after watching Ball scrimmage in his return to practice on Monday.

• The Clippers are breaking in their new point guard as well in defensive specialist Patrick Beverley, who came over from the Houston Rockets in the deal that sent away Paul. Beverley will share ballhandling duties with Serbian Milos Teodosic, who came over to the NBA from Europe after leading Serbia to a silver medal in the 2016 Olympics, and Austin Rivers, who sat out most of the preseason with a hip injury but is expected to be ready Thursday.

• The preseason expectations are lower with the departure of Paul, but Los Angeles did manage to keep another of its stars by signing power forward Blake Griffin to a five-year, $173 million extension. Griffin averaged 21.6 points and 8.1 rebounds last season but only played in 61 games – the third straight season in which he failed to reach 70 games – and is excited for the opportunity to work with his new teammates. “We have a lot of guys who can contribute and put up big numbers and play key roles in winning games,” Griffin told the Orange County Register. “It’s not like two or three guys you have to key in on. We have a lot. We have so many unique talents, it’s tough to game-plan.”

• Los Angeles owned the league’s third-worst scoring defense in 2016-17, allowing an average of 111.5 points, and made a pair of moves to aid the defense by bringing in veteran center Andrew Bogut and swingman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. “Our guys have really committed and bought in to becoming a better defensive team,” Walton told reporters. “It’s still going to take time, obviously. But as long as they keep working the way they do and want to continue to get better the way they do, then we’ll be a very solid defensive team. I’m thrilled with the strides they’re making.” The Lakers also added a scoring threat in the middle with center Brook Lopez, who averaged 20.5 points for the Brooklyn Nets last season.

• Lopez attempted 387 3-pointers last season, 356 more than in the first eight seasons of his career combined.

• Clippers C DeAndre Jordan led the league in field-goal percentage (71.4) last season while ranking third in rebounding (13.8)

• The Clippers have taken three straight and 14 of the last 15 in the series.