Warriors to battle title contenders in 2026-27 season opener, Christmas Day game
Published in Basketball
The Warriors will open their season on the road in Los Angeles for the second consecutive season.
The NBA announced on Tuesday morning that the Warriors will play at the Lakers on Oct. 21, where they will get their first look at the new-look Lakers trio of superstar Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler.
This is the fourth time in the past six seasons the teams have matched up for the Warriors’ opener, but this iteration will look a little different: Four-time MVP LeBron James left LA for the new-look Philadelphia 76ers last month in free agency, so Doncic is now the undisputed face of the Lakers.
Kessler came over from the Utah Jazz in a sign-and-trade deal to pair a young, rim-running center with Doncic for the next iteration of the Lakers, signing a four-year, $130 million deal upon his arrival to the team. Reaves re-signed on a four-year, $180 million deal to remain in Los Angeles.
Golden State is 37-43 in opening games in franchise history.
The Warriors will also play on Christmas Day for the 14th consecutive year, the longest streak in the franchise’s history, and will host for the third year in a row. Their opponent will be three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
Both the Lakers and Nuggets made the postseason and, with their superstars in the primes of their respective careers, have title expectations going into this year.
Barring a blockbuster trade, Golden State is expected to bring back a nearly identical roster to last year’s group. The Warriors picked Yaxel Lendeborg No. 11 overall in the draft and re-signed De’Anthony Melton, Draymond Green, Al Horford, Gary Payton, Charles Bassey and Kristaps Porzingis to new contracts.
Two major questions remaining in their offseason are whether aging wonder Steph Curry and young guard Brandin Podziemski will sign contract extensions. Each has a year left on his deal, and Podziemski will be a restricted free agent next summer if he does not come to terms with the team, while two-time MVP Curry would be unrestricted at age 39.
The full season schedule will be released on Thursday at 12 p.m. PT.
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