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After an offseason filled with moves made by the Los Angeles Lakers, there’s a lot of anticipation for the upcoming 2026-27 NBA season, with a new-look roster around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves to get the post-LeBron James era underway.
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The next order of business for the Lakers is a four-day minicamp put together by Doncic in his home country of Slovenia, which will begin on Aug. 20.
Along with Doncic and company gearing up for this minicamp and building some lasting bonds and chemistry, the team now knows who they’ll face right out of the gate to start the 2026-27 campaign ahead of the release of the full NBA schedule later this week.
Lakers to Face Warriors to Start the 2026-27 NBA Season
For the first time since 2018, the Lakers will not play on the first official day of the season (Oct. 20), with the storied franchise set to start their season on Oct. 21, hosting Stephen Curry and the visiting Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena.
ESPN will begin its 2026-27 NBA regular-season game coverage with opening-week doubleheaders on Wednesday, Oct. 21 and Thursday, Oct. 22.
• Oct. 21: Team debuts for Miami’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Minnesota’s LaMelo Ball
• Oct. 22: Home debuts for Philadelphia’s LeBron… pic.twitter.com/5nfXLvz1BA
– NBA Communications (@NBAPR) August 11, 2026
The first day of the season will have three games on the schedule, with the Detroit Pistons taking on the Boston Celtics at TD Garden, followed by the Philadelphia 76ers facing the defending NBA champion New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden and finally a Western Conference Finals rematch between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs at the Frost Bank Center.
Although it’s a little odd that the Lakers didn’t make the cut for the first day of the 2026-27 NBA season, the matchup against the Warriors a day later isn’t a bad consolation prize, as it’ll be must-see TV with Doncic and Curry going head-to-head.
Lakers to Host LeBron’s 76ers on Christmas Day in Los Angeles
The league also dropped the Christmas Day schedule, which is always one of the most anticipated days of the NBA season, with some primetime matchups.
This year, the Lakers will host the star-studded 76ers on Dec. 25, with LeBron James returning to Los Angeles to face his former team in what will be one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the 2026-27 campaign for Lakers fans.
The NBA will feature five games on Christmas Day (Friday, Dec. 25) for the 19th consecutive year, with ABC and ESPN both televising each matchup.
Highlights include the first meeting between the Knicks and Spurs since the 2026 NBA Finals, as well as new 76er LeBron James’ return… pic.twitter.com/CgWdaaFJXN
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– NBA Communications (@NBAPR) August 11, 2026
James left the team as a free agent this summer after spending nearly a decade in purple and gold and helping the franchise win its 17th NBA title, the second-highest total in the league behind the arch-rival Celtics (18).
It was safe to assume that the Lakers would face the 76ers either on opening night or on Christmas Day, so it’s not all that surprising that Los Angeles and Philadelphia will battle it out on the biggest holiday of the year.
Full 2026-27 NBA Schedule Will Officially Drop This Week
As usual, the games set to open the season and the Christmas Day matchups are announced before the full schedule is released.
However, Lakers fans won’t have to wait long to see the full 2026-27 schedule, with the NBA set to release it on Aug. 13.
The NBA will announce the full schedule for the 2026-27 regular season on Thursday, Aug. 13 at 3:00 PM ET.
NBA Schedule Release presented by @Ticketmasterpic.twitter.com/PvAMseNneb
– NBA Communications (@NBAPR) August 10, 2026
Some matchups that will likely be circled on the schedule by many Lakers fans include the team’s second meeting with the 76ers, as well as games against the Spurs, Thunder, Celtics, Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/lakers/onsi as Lakers Fans Will Immediately Circle These Two Games on the 2026-27 NBA Schedule.
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This story was originally published August 11, 2026 at 9:32 AM.