It is that time of year again, NBA Schedule Release Day! In our schedule preview, we’ll cover all the notable matchups, predictions, and things to watch for, but one other thing stands out: no Lakers on NBA Opening Night. That’ll be the first time in eight years that the Lakers will not be on the national stage for the inaugural games of the 2026-27 season. The Lakers won’t have to wait long, though. They’ll open the season at home against the Golden State Warriors.
The departure of LeBron James has been a hot-button topic, but when the season tips off, the focus is fully on Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and the new supporting cast headlined by up-and-coming big man Walker Kessler.
National TV Games
Once the NBA world learned that LeBron James would not be returning to LA, the conversation instantly became about the Lakers’ standing in the NBA landscape. Would they fade back to NBA purgatory without LeBron? Of course not.
Interestingly, LeBron leaving LA seemed to have no bearing on the national TV slate. The Lakers sit at the top of the list with 34 nationally televised games for the 2026-27 season.
The Lakers are one of the marquee franchises in American sports, and their national TV slate for the upcoming season proves people still want to see the Purple and Gold.
Back-to-Backs
Another thing to watch is how LA performs in back-to-backs. They’ll have 11 such games before the 2026-27 All-Star Break, and then just three such occurrences in the final 10 weeks of the season.
Here’s every back-to-back they’ll play this year:
Los Angeles will get their feet wet early on with back-to-back games, starting with a home-and-away set in the season’s opening week. LA will take on Portland the first night, then return to LA the following night as visitors at the Intuit Dome to face the Clippers. Look for the Lakers to open the season strong and make a statement. I have the Lakers taking both of these games.
One interesting wrinkle – three of LA’s four matchups against Portland occur on the first night of a back-to-back set. The other two are road games for the Lakers.
Early November will see the second night of a back-to-back at home against the new-look Miami Heat. They’ll have Toronto on the first night. The matchup in South Beach is sure to be an early season headliner. Giannis Antetokounmpo and company getting one over on LA early could be cause for concern among Lakers fans if they struggle in this one. It’ll be important to temper expectations as the team finds their footing with many new pieces expected to be key contributors. Lakers falter on the second night in Miami at the start of the Giannis-era.
Away-away set against Detroit and then Atlanta on the back half. After an expected tough matchup against the Pistons, the Hawks will offer a welcome step down in difficulty. Early season back-to-backs always seem to be unpredictable. Tired legs could affect the overall quality of play, but pedigree is on the Lakers side here. Lakers 2-0.
Walker Kessler will get to face his former team on the second night of a back-to-back set at home on Nov 18. The added juice should provide early-season motivation, and the Lakers have an advantageous matchup against a young, rebuilding Charlotte team. Lakers should go 2-0 in this stretch.
Thanksgiving weekend will include three road games in four nights. The second night of the back-to-back is in Houston. This matchup comes on the heels of a highly contested six-game playoff matchup that saw the Lakers send the Rockets packing. Those same Rockets have reunited with Marcus Smart and still have Kevin Durant. This is sure to be one of the bigger early-season matchups for the Lakers. Lakers win both games.
Mid-December will see LA on the road at Minnesota and then Denver on the back half of a back-to-back set. The Timber Wolves and Nuggets have become two playoff stalwarts in the Western Conference, and these franchises have faced each other several times in recent playoff matchups. This two-game set should be viewed as a measuring stick for the Lakers’ in-conference positioning as the season progresses. A split here would be encouraging, but two hard-fought matchups could see them on the losing side. The Lakers find themselves on the wrong side of these in the early going.
When the calendar turns to 2027, the Lakers will once again find themselves amid a stretch of four away games in six nights, with the middle two being a back-to-back and the second night finding LA in Toronto. LA should take both of these matchups against lesser opponents.
A two-game road set at Boston and then at Detroit the following night will be must-watch matchups. Much like the Minnesota/Denver set just before Christmas, Boston and Detroit should be seen as measuring stick games. The Boston matchup, of course, carries the extra weight of being a rivalry matchup. I predict another split here, with the win coming against Boston.
Mid-January finds the Lakers on an away-home back-to-back against Portland and then at home against Orlando—a quick turnaround, but against teams not expected to make much noise. The Lakers should fare well here.
Another away-home set will see the Lakers at the Warriors. They’ll return home for the second night against the Kings, who they’ll see for the second time in four nights. Lakers go 2-0 here against their in-state rivals.
They’ll face the defending champion New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on the first night. On the second night, they’ll be in Charlotte. The Knicks will be a tough matchup, but LA will get some reprieve on the second night. The Lakers should split these matchups, but a win against the Knicks would be a feather in the cap of a Lakers team looking to establish the Luka Doncic era. Lakers position themselves as one of the teams to fear with a win over both.
Two home games against Oklahoma City and then Brooklyn will open up a stretch of five home games for the Lakers. This same stretch also includes a back-to-back with New York and Cleveland coming to Hollywood. This will be a tough stretch of games despite playing at home, given the quality of opponents and the quick turnarounds. Stealing wins against OKC or New York should raise fans’ confidence. We’ll shoot for a 2-2 split on these four games with wins coming on the back half of each set.
Another away-home set once again, including an away game at Portland on the front half. The Lakers take on the Phoenix Suns the following night at Crypto.com Arena. Lakers take both of these games against teams that shouldn’t make much noise this year.
The back-to-back has LA at home against Dallas and Minnesota. They’ll also see Minnesota two nights later in LA. With an expected playoff push and positioning in the Western Conference possibly being up for grabs, LA will come out aggressive and take both sides of this back-to-back.
Predictions:
Overall, the Lakers have some favorable matchups in these games. Early-season back-to-backs make it difficult to predict winners and losers as teams find their legs. One big advantage the Lakers will have this year is youth. Austin Reaves is now the longest-tenured Laker at just 28.
The only players older than Reaves are newcomers Kevon Looney, 30, and Matisse Thybulle, 29. Both players are expected to play reserve roles. Thybulle’s recent injury issues over the last two seasons will likely limit his back-to-back appearances.
Win-Loss Count:
23-6
Lakers should perform well despite the high number of games involving a quick turnaround.
I predict the Lakers to lose just six such games occurring on back-to-backs, with all losses coming against teams expected to be at the top of the standings.
Expected losses:
Nov 2 v Miami Heat
Dec 18 at Minnesota Timberwolves
Dec 19 at Denver Nuggets
Jan 8 v Detroit Pistons
Mar 6 v Oklahoma City Thunder
Mar 11 v New York Knicks
Notable Wins:
Oct 28 at LA Clippers
Nov 7 at Detroit Pistons
Nov 18 v Utah Jazz
Nov 30 at Houston Rockets
Jan 7 v Boston Celtics
Jan 21 at Golden State Warriors
Jan 30 at New York Knicks
Mar 12 v Cleveland Cavaliers
Apr 6 v Dallas Mavericks
Apr 7 v Minnesota Timberwolves
Other Must-Watch Games:
Of course, the Lakers will have plenty of must-watch matchups outside of the back-to-backs. Walker Kessler’s first matchup against his former team, the Luka v Dallas games, and a Christmas Day matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers are also on the schedule.
The Lakers will face the Jazz three times this year. All three matchups will come in the first five weeks of the season. Utah has just started a rebuild around their first-round pick, point guard Darryn Peterson. Former Laker Jaxson Hayes will get a chance to make an impact against his former team as well. The early-season storylines make these matchups worth watching. While Utah isn’t expected to be a tough opponent, wins here will help the Lakers gain an important foothold in the Western Conference as the season kicks off. We can add two more wins to LA’s total here, bringing it to 25-6 for the games we’ve looked at so far.
The Lakers will have plenty of time to iron out the wrinkles before they get their first shot against Doncic’s former team, and on his birthday no less. They’ll see Dallas again in March and for the final time in April on the first night of a back-to-back. Lakers take all three of these games. That moves our win-loss count to 27-6.
The matchup of the season will come on Christmas Day, when LeBron James will make his long-awaited return to Los Angeles. This will be LeBron’s first time facing the Lakers in nearly eight years. The King will return to his former kingdom, and the Lakers will have a chip on their shoulder given how LeBron left the club. Rumors of a rift between LA and LeBron had been there for years, and the perceived disrespect that came from the Lakers side was the final nail in the coffin. The Lakers will bring their best effort to the holiday matchup and come out on top.
Lakers will then see the 76ers in early March as they close out a four-game road stretch. This stretch will include tough matchups against Minnesota and Denver. The Lakers will be tired and looking to get back to LA for a quick reset before taking on the Thunder at home. Philly gets one back and protects home court. A 1-1 split against Philadelphia would be very encouraging. 29-7.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, the Lakers won’t take as much of a step back from their 53 wins last year. They should be right near that number, in the 50-55 win range with Luka having full control of the team now that LeBron has headed back East.
The addition of Walker Kessler addressed a big gap the team had last year. It also allowed the Lakers to fulfill their promise to Luka: a legitimate starting center. Retaining Austin Reaves at a favorable rate allows the homegrown star to continue making his impact felt for the historic franchise. An influx of new faces will provide a much-needed shooting bump for this year’s Lakers as well.
The question isn’t whether the Lakers will be a good team; they most certainly will. The question is whether they can establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with at the start of the Luka Doncic era. In a loaded conference, the margin for error is as slim as it’s ever been. The Purple and Gold will have their work cut out for them, but Lakers fans should be optimistic.
