LeBron James’ Lakers, Stephen Curry MVP chances, ailing Spurs, and other NBA storylines to watch this season

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Associated Press
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Is Melo done? Who will be the MVP? Will the anti-tanking measures work?

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Stephen Curry and the defending champion Warriors took down the Thunder 108-100 on opening night.

The 2018-19 NBA season kicked off on Tuesday night with a doubleheader featuring the 2018 champion Golden State Warriors edging out the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-100, and last year’s Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics demolishing the struggling Philadelphia 76ers 105-87.

This year promises to be another season of great basketball, so here are the biggest NBA storylines to watch for in the upcoming season.

LeBron James, LA Laker

James starts what could be a challenging first season with his new team by trying to end a record winning streak. The Trail Blazers have won 17 consecutive home openers, a streak that began in October 2001 two years before James made his NBA debut.

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Still the Spurs?

San Antonio usually enters the season as a sure thing, but this time they may be a question mark. Plagued by injuries in their backcourt during the preseason after losing Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili in the offseason, the Spurs are not a lock for a 22nd straight play-off appearance this year.

Off-season foreshadowing

It’s only opening night, but there’s already a lot of talk about the summer of 2019 free agency, when superstar players such as Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler and Kyrie Irving could be available. Even Golden State isn’t immune, with Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson able to become free agents.

MVP! MVP!

Will Lebron James eventually be a greater Los Angeles Laker than Magic or Kobe?
Photo: AP

James led a record nine players who received votes as the MVP favourite in the NBA General Manager Survey, garnering 30 per cent of the vote among those who responded. Durant, Irving, Leonard, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Giannis Antetokounmpo also received votes along with reigning MVP James Harden, who should put up big numbers again in Houston’s high-powered offence.

Anti-tanking measures

New draft lottery odds debut this season. The teams with the three worst regular-season records will each have a 14 per cent chance of winning the lottery, replacing the system that gave the team with the worst record a 25 per cent chance. The league hopes this will reduce the incentive to lose on purpose

Is Melo done?

They added a likely future Hall of Famer to a team that just won a league-high 65 games, but it’s hard to know just how much Carmelo Anthony will help the Rockets - or if he will help at all. He comes off his worst season in Oklahoma City and didn’t thrive playing for Mike D’Antoni in New York. But his outside shooting seems a natural fit with the Rockets, especially with the open looks Harden and close friend Chris Paul should set up for him.

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Who will take it all?

After a record four years of the same NBA Finals matchup with Golden State and Cleveland, the NBA seems headed for something new. The Warriors remain the class of the league, but Boston matches up with them better than the Cavaliers did, even with James. So Golden State should win a third straight title, but not without a much tougher fight than the last couple of seasons.

“I do think in this league anything can happen so there’s some teams in the Western Conference, if clicking right, if healthy - injuries play a role not just for the Warriors but throughout this league - so that can play a part in it,” former Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. “But the Warriors are the clear-cut favourite.”

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