The 2025-26 NBA season is just around the corner as the Los Angeles Lakers’ full regular season schedule was recently released.
As is normally the case, the Lakers were given a ton of high-profile games such as Opening Night against the Golden State Warriors and Christmas Day against the Houston Rockets. With Luka Doncic now on the team and LeBron James still playing at a high level, the league understandably wants a lot of eyes on the Lakers this season.
With that comes a lot of games to get excited for, and we recently ranked the top-10 on the Lakers’ schedule.
There are some under-the-radar games to look forward to as well though, and our staff picked out their favorites in the latest Lakers Nation Roundtable.
Trevor Lane (@Trevor_Lane):
Nov. 15 at Bucks: This game screams “scheduled loss.” It’s the second night of a road back-to-back after significant travel from New Orleans AND it’s the final game of a five-game road trip. Still, this will be one of our earliest indicators of how the team plans to manage fatigue through the season. Do we see players rest? What is LeBron’s workload in these situations in his age 41 season? Do players farther down the bench get opportunities to bring fresh legs into the mix? It’s a tough situation but also one that will reveal quite a bit about how JJ Redick intends to handle the season.
Dec. 30 vs. Pistons: The Lakers went 0-2 against Detroit last season, with the Pistons’ athleticism on the perimeter creating problems for L.A. while Jalen Duren was a problem in the paint. While both games last season took place before the arrival of Luka Doncic with the Lakers, the team still has similar weaknesses on paper. The last game of 2025 provies a chance to show that the Lakers can deal with quick-twitch athletes like Jaden Ivey and Ausar Thompson on the perimeter while providing Deandre Ayton with a physical challenge in the middle.
Feb. 5 vs. 76ers: Rather than being noteworthy for the game itself, the big question is what will the Lakers roster look like for this game that takes place just hours after the NBA trade deadline? Whether they’re going to make a big move or multiple smaller ones, Feb. 5 is their last chance to do it.
April 9 at Warriors: While the Opening Night tilt between these two sides will get most of the attention, it’s this late-season game that will likely be a major factor in Playoff seeding. It’s the final game of a critical four-game stretch for the Lakers. With how tight the West projects to be, this final matchup with the Warriors may see everything on the line.
Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand):
Nov. 5 vs. Spurs: There are a lot of interesting games on the Lakers’ schedule but one in particular that I’m looking forward to is the first matchup with the Spurs, who figure to be much-improved this year. With L.A.’s current personnel, stopping Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox will be a challenge for JJ Redick’s team. Considering Doncic is now on the Lakers and signed to a long-term extension, there may be a lot of battles between these two teams in the coming years.
Nov. 25 vs. Clippers: Matchups with the Clippers already have a little extra meaning behind them, but this one will as be part of the NBA Cup group stage. On paper, the Lakers and Clippers are the best two teams in their group, so the winner of this game may have a good chance of advancing to the knockout round.
Jan. 2 and 4 vs. Grizzlies: Ja Morant made it clear last season that he does not like the Lakers as these two teams have built a bit of a rivalry in recent years. That may come to a head when they play each other in back-to-back games at Crypto.com Arena early in 2026.
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