by Adi Joseph, USA TODAY Sports

Two story lines to follow during Sunday night’s six-game NBA slate (all times p.m. Eastern):

How will the Los Angeles Lakers respond to Mike D’Antoni?

Houston Rockets at Lakers, 9:30: Coaching changes tend to provide immediate dividends. The Washington Wizards started last season 2-15, fired Flip Saunders and won two of their next three (albeit both against the Charlotte Bobcats) and four of their next 12. Randy Wittman was not some miracle worker; his team is 0-8 to start this season. But new coaches can play armchair quarterback, fixing the mistakes of the previous administration.

As D’Antoni takes over the 4-5 Lakers, remember his first task is not to install his system but to figure out what was going wrong under fired Mike Brown. The Lakers have enough talent to win, and D’Antoni has the advantage of nine regular-season games worth of film to watch and dissect. Even if he is not the long-term solution, D’Antoni should provide an instant boost. The 4-5 Rockets are not a bad team, but they are not a good team, either. The Lakers will work to contain James Harden and hope Dwight Howard overpowers Omer Asik on the boards. But Los Angeles should win, provided D’Antoni did his homework, on his team as much as the opponent.

Why doesn’t anyone want to keep and start Carl Landry?

Golden State Warriors at Oklahoma City Thunder, 7: The Golden State Warriors power forward has been traded midseason twice in his six-year career. He has never started more than half his games in a season. But he is one of the NBA’s most efficient post scorers. The Warriors, who signed Landry as a free agent this offseason, are beginning to see how talented the former Purdue star is down low. He is averaging 15.3 points and 7.7 rebounds in 26.6 minutes a game. He has been the Warriors’ best player, but he comes off the bench. Landry’s biggest weakness is his size. Listed at 6-9, he seems to play smaller and has never been an ideal rebounder or defender at power forward. The Thunder will test Landry’s nine-game hot streak with their … [For more on Tonight's NBA schedule: How will Los Angeles Lakers respond to Mike D'Antoni?, click here.]