The NBA has officially released the schedule for the 2026-27 regular season and, as usual, the Los Angeles Lakers have plenty of national TV appearances, including a Christmas Day showdown with LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Over the past few years, the NBA has introduced “Rivals Week,” when teams with a lot of history face off and the games have that little bit of extra heat to them. This season, Rivals Week takes place from Jan. 26-30 and the Lakers will be making two appearances, taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder on the 26th and the New York Knicks on the 30th:
The Lakers are playing the Thunder and Knicks during the NBA’s “Rivals Week” this year. pic.twitter.com/9r1sNd6bOW
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) August 13, 2026
Some may be surprised to not see the Lakers taking on the Boston Celtics as that rivalry will live on forever, but the league chose to go in a different direction. The Thunder dominated the Lakers last season, not only sweeping the regular season series, but also their second-round playoff series. So the Lakers will be very motivated to get some revenge and show they won’t just be pushed around.
The Knicks meeting is also an interesting one as the two franchises do have history dating all the way back to the 1970s. The Knicks beat the Lakers in seven games to take home the 1970 NBA Championship, which included the famous Willis Reed game. The Lakers got revenge two seasons later, however, taking the Knicks out in five games to win the franchise’s first championship in L.A.
Both of these contests will also feature premier point guard matchups with Luka Doncic taking on the back-to-back regular season MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and 2026 NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson.
There are multiple other intriguing matchups taking place during Rivals Week as well, including what may be the best current rivalry in the league between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets, as well as the Golden State Warriors against the San Antonio Spurs. Additionally, Giannis Antetokounmpo will be making his first trip back to Milwaukee as a member of the Miami Heat, and LaMelo Ball will face his old team, the Charlotte Hornets for the first time as well.
Lakers ownership sale could have influenced LeBron James to stay
Perhaps the most anticipated Lakers game this season will be LeBron James’ return to L.A. on Christmas Day. James’ time with the franchise has come to an end, but some believe it didn’t have to be that way. In fact, some believe that had the recent sale of the Lakers gone through earlier this offseason, it could have potentially influenced James to remain with the team.
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