The NBA is driven by its star players. Like any other sporting league, it uses them to drive ratings and different matchups. But unlike other sports, basketball is purely a star-driven league.

The amount of power that the players have is not seen in any other sport, sometimes to the fault of the NBA. With the new season just around the corner, the new schedule has dropped.

It brings all sorts of new narratives and talking points with it. There are certain games that just mean more than others due to matchups, and the stars playing in the games.

Many of these games include the Los Angeles Lakers due to LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The team made it to the Western Conference Finals last season and now will be looking to build on that success this season.

Zach Harper of The Athletic named 40 regular season games that have a ton of intrigue in them, and the Lakers showed up a few times. One of which comes against a division rival and a long-time rival of James himself. That would be Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns.

The two stars are scheduled to face off against one another in the Lakers home opener this season. Maybe this will be the game that we get to see these two legends play each other.

If they both do suit up, it will be must-see TV indeed. Durant and James always play each other well, and their matchup makes for great viewership.

The Suns and Lakers should both be two of the better teams in the Western Conference as well, so it will be a good test for the Lakers early in the year. They have a chance to set the tone for the season against Phoenix and show them that they mean business.

Like a ton of the Lakers games, this one has a lot of high intrigue. LA will be looking for Banner 18 this season as the year kicks off here shortly.