The Lakers are coming to town, and while the rivalry doesn’t have the same feel it used to during the days of Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant, it still means something to beat the Purple and Gold. Los Angeles is on a three-game winning streak and has a 7-4 record, while the San Antonio Spurs are coming off two straight wins with a 6-6 record.

Tonight is the first match for both teams in the Emirates NBA Cup. Each team plays each other once before the results are tallied, and those with the best records advance to the knockout round. Bragging rights are on the line, and the Spurs won’t be at full strength as they continue to wait for the return of Tre Jones and Jeremy Sochan, but neither will the Lakers.

Victor Wembanyama is ready to go. He has been in trouble defensively since the start of the season, but now his offense has caught up. Over the last three games, Wemby is averaging 36 points per game on 59.1 FG%, and 54.1% from three, while casually adding 12 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 4.3 blocks to his stat line .

The Lakers won two of their last three head-to-head games with the Silver and Black in the 2023-24 season, but this is a very different team. Whether Anthony Davis plays or not, it won’t be easy for LA to impose their will on both sides of the ball. But he has played in every game except one this season, so expect AD to be in the lineup.

Granted, offense would be more of a problem for them if Sochan played, but SA have improved their defense nonetheless. They rotate with more consistency and trust they are in the right places, and that has paid off for one of the youngest teams in the league.

It is also important to respect your opponent. LeBron James is in his 21st season and he’s still going strong. James had a 35-point triple-double in a win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. Davis is averaging 30 points so far this season. He’s as aggressive as ever under rookie head coach JJ Redick.

Mitch Johnson will have his hands full with whatever schemes Redick will throw at the Spurs to make his guys look good. He has shown proficiency with a clipboard.

This is one of those games that will require Chris Paul’s expertise. He has seen virtually every coverage you can imagine, and his guidance will be crucial to the win. If San Antonio can keep their turnovers down again and play Spurs basketball on both ends of the floor, they will start the tournament with a bang by taking out AD and King James.