In matchups of superstar trios, the Lakers will reportedly will host Golden State on Oct. 19 and Brooklyn on Dec. 25<\/b>
\nIn short order, the Lakers will see how their new Big Three stacks up against the NBA\u2019s competing star trios. Key dates of the NBA schedule will be announced at noon Tuesday, but a source confirmed Los Angeles will host the Golden State Warriors on the league\u2019s Oct.19 opening night. Reports from ESPN indicate the Lakers will host the Brooklyn Nets on Christmas. The Lakers \u2013 now headlined by Russell Westbrook alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis \u2013 are the odds-on favorites to win the Western Conference and compete for a championship in the coming season. But the Warriors, led by Steph Curry, Draymond Green and a potentially healthy Klay Thompson, are widely considered one of their toughest conference foes, while the Nets are favorites to win it all behind Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving. The opening night tilt provides a rematch between the Lakers and Warriors for the first time since their play-in game in May, which was won by a play clock-beating 3-point shot by James. Both teams are expected to be more formidable than last season\u2019s 7th- and 8th-place finishes in the West as long as they\u2019re healthy, which has been a tough point for the Warriors for the last two seasons. Curry and James are traditional big-game rivals, with James sporting a 9-7 edge in the regular season but Curry enjoying a 3-1 Finals record against James\u2019 teams. In addition to one of the stiffest challenges the Lakers face in the regular season, the Nets also present some of the most compelling individual matchups on the schedule. Westbrook will face former teammates Durant and Harden (twice) on his most competitive team since leaving Oklahoma City. James and Irving, also former teammates, will go head-to-head for the 14th time in the regular season (James owns a 10-3 advantage). In the James era, the Lakers have gone 0-3 in opening night games and 2-1 on Christmas Day. The Lakers have played the last two opening night games against the Clippers at Staples Center.<\/p>\n