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The biggest NBA story of this past offseason was, of course, LeBron James. The future Hall of Famer started the Final Act of his career, one he will embark on as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, and now he’s set to make his L.A. debut when the Lakers head north to take on the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night.
The game is scheduled to start at 10:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally on TNT. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can watch a live stream of the game (or DVR it) on your computer, phone or streaming device via one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
TNT is one of 85 channels included in the main Fubo bundle, which is tailored towards sports. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of Cloud DVR (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours), as well as a “72-Hour Lookback” feature, which allows you to watch games up to three days after they air even if you forgot to record them.
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 50-plus live TV channels, including TNT. You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, “Hulu with Live TV” comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
TNT is included in both the “Sling Orange” and “Sling Blue” channel packages. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial of either, and you can then watch the game live on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on.
Preview
Los Angeles hasn’t made the postseason since 2012-13. In order to change that, not only will LeBron need to be LeBron (27.5 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 9.1 APG last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers), but other veteran signings — particularly Rajon Rondo and JaVale McGee — must contribute on both ends of the floor. LeBron leaves the Eastern Conference for the first time in his career, and will have a lofty task of helping the Lakers end their five-year playoff drought.
In addition to veterans playing up for head coach Luke Walton, third-year pro Brandon Ingram needs to take the next step. Last season, Ingram averaged 16.4 PPG, hitting 47% of his shots. Ingram is the catalyst for the Lakers, and his length and versatility give Walton options next to LeBron. In addition to Ingram, there are promising guards Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart, each expected to take on a bigger role this season. Second-year frontcourt player Kyle Kuzma also came on down the stretch last season, finishing 16/6, and giving the Lakers a valuable pick-and-roll piece up front they’ve been missing since Pau Gasol.
The Blazers were an utter disappointment last season. After finishing 49-33 and earning the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum were swept out of the playoffs by Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans. More importantly, the series was lopsided, catching mostly everybody off guard.
The Blazers’ roster doesn’t look all that much different from last season, which means Terry Stotts is going to need to do a remarkable job in order to get back to where this was. Teams like the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz will challenge the Blazers for the division crown, and the Lakers and Suns are set to improve and possibly challenge for playoff spots.
One of the keys for Portland this season is second-year pro Zach Collins. The front office traded up for Collins in the 2017 NBA Draft. As a rookie, he started slow, but rounded out nicely as the season went on. Collins needs to be the inside-outside presence that can score 15-20 consistently inside, alleviating pressure from the tandem of Lillard and McCollum on the outside. Jusuf Nurkic is also in the mix for front court minutes, as well as former first-round pick Meyers Leonard, though Collins will be given every opportunity and Nurkic is the superior scorer.
While Portland has average, yet capable NBA wing players (Evan Turner), arguably overpaid, they don’t have a difference maker. For years, Portland has consistently been good, occasionally great, but always lacking the third star to compete with the major teams in the West. First Aldridge left Lillard just before McCollum truly blossomed. Lillard’s name is always the subject of trade rumors, and if Portland regresses in 2018-19, those rumors may very well start up again sooner this time around.