Lakers to Have 1st Practice in 4 Months After Clearing Quarantine in Orlando

The Los Angeles Lakers are set to hold their first practice in four months Saturday after clearing quarantine requirements Saturday at the Disney World complex in Orlando, Florida.

Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times reported the update as the NBA continues preparations to resume its 2019-20 season, which was halted March 11 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Lakers' Avery Bradley is one of the players who's opted out of the restart. The team signed veteran shooting guard JR Smith, who won a championship alongside LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, to fill the void on the roster.

Otherwise, L.A.'s core remains intact.

With James and Anthony Davis leading the team, the Lakers owned the best record in the Western Conference at 49-14 when play was stopped. They've already clinched a playoff berth and hold a 5.5-game lead over the rival Los Angeles Clippers for the top seed heading into the shortened eight-game finish to the regular season.

James tweeted about leaving his family to enter the Orlando "bubble" on Thursday:

The Lakers will head into the resumption of the campaign as the NBA championship favorite (+180), according to Caesars Palace. They're followed by the Milwaukee Bucks (+275) and Clippers (+325) with no other team owning odds better than 10-1.

Los Angeles is set to play the first of three scrimmage games July 23 against the Dallas Mavericks. Its first regular-season game is set for July 30 against the Clippers.

The playoffs will begin Aug. 17, and the NBA Finals are scheduled to tip off Sept. 30.