Lakers guard Austin Reaves is expected to start in place of Russell Westbrook (out, hamstring) tonight vs. If the Lakers’ offense flows better, this starting lineup could continue with Westbrook coming off the bench, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic. Austin Reaves will get the start in Westbrook’s absence, as he did in the one preseason game Westbrook came off the bench.The hope is he could return on Friday against the Timberwolves. He is out Wednesday night against Denver due to left hamstring soreness.Here is the latest on Westbrook and the Lakers: On a team with arguably the best player ever poised to break the all-time scoring record later this season, the Lakers’ world continues to revolve around Russell Westbrook drama. Even if competitive, Toronto could choose to step back in pursuit of loftier goals. Washington will withdraw from the race only if it seems Bradley Beal will leave in unrestricted free agency and gets traded first. The Raptors are right with the Bulls and Wizards in jockeying to reach the play-in tournament. How much will Ben Simmons help them? Or will he just disrupt chemistry? What will he return in a trade? When? I have Philadelphia in a tier with the Hawks and Heat. But if Irving returns, Brooklyn’s top-end talent could be overwhelming. Milwaukee has a stronger identity, especially with Kyrie Irving out. The Nets and Bucks are a class of their own. Chicago looked good in the preseason, but I’m still not sold on the defense. I also may be too low on Toronto when Pascal Siakam returns, the Raptors could push into the postseason. Boston is poised for a bounce-back season, but can that bounce get them into home court in the first round of the playoffs? Can the Hawks turn that playoff run into regular season magic? I expect a step back from the Hawks and the Knicks (even though New York is better, the East just isn’t going to break for them the same way this season). The 76ers are nearly impossible to predict because of the Ben Simmons situation - I still expect him to get traded mid-season - but they could finish anywhere from third to seventh. I see Miami as a clear third-best playoff team in the East and a threat to the top two if things break right, but Miami may be better built for the playoffs than the marathon of the regular season (meaning, they could finish lower than third). After that, things get harder to predict. The Nets and Bucks are the class of the East, on their own tier above everyone (and if Kyrie Irving returns and that situation gets sorted out, the Nets are on their own level above the Bucks). Here are the NBC Sports NBA writer predictions for the East this season (the Western Conference and Finals prediction will come tomorrow). All of which makes predicting the Eastern Conference standings and playoffs a challenge - little things and the inevitable injuries will mean major shakeups in the standings. The East has quality depth we haven’t seen in it in years, and there will be good teams fighting it out in the play-in tournament. For the first time in a long time, the Eastern Conference no longer looks like the little brother of the West.
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