Recently, the NBA has introduced “Rivalry Week,” which features some of the best matchups of the year with teams who have some sort of history that ratchet up the intensity of the meetings. Of course, the Los Angeles Lakers are always a big part of this week as they have many teams that could be considered rivals.
Add to that the fact that the Lakers remain one of the most popular teams in the league and are once again amongst the teams with the most national TV appearances for the 2025-26 season, and it should come as no surprise that they are heavily featured during NBA Rivalry Week.
As part of the release of the NBA schedule, the league also announced the lineup for Rivalry Week with the Lakers having matchups against the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks, via NBA PR:
Classic and budding rivalries between teams and players will be the focus of 11 national games over five days during NBA Rivals Week from Jan. 20-24.
NBA Schedule Release presented by @Ticketmaster pic.twitter.com/J91gLj3wBa
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) August 14, 2025
All of these meetings make a ton of sense for the Lakers on this week. They also are all on the road as these three games kick off the Lakers’ longest road trip of the season, an eight-game, two-week trip that stretches from Jan. 20 through Feb. 3.
First up is the Nuggets, which is the first meeting of the season between these two teams. Denver has arguably become the Lakers’ biggest rival over the past couple of seasons thanks to them eliminating L.A. from the playoffs in 2023 and 2024. The Lakers finally took them down in the regular season last year and look poised to prove that the tide has turned in this rivalry.
The Clippers and Lakers has also grown in intensity over the last half decade and that is always a marquee matchup, while the Lakers taking on the Mavericks needs no explanation after the Luka Doncic trade from last season.
NBA Rivalry Week also features many other intriguing matchups such as an NBA Finals rematch between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers, a Texas showdown between the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, and a rematch of another intense playoff meeting between the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Lakers to unveil Pat Riley statue on February 22 vs. Celtics
Normally, the Lakers would meet the Boston Celtics on Rivalry Week, but with their star Jayson Tatum out for the season, the NBA chose to go a different direction. But it will still be a special occasion when the Lakers host the Celtics as the franchise announced they will unveil the statue for legendary coach Pat Riley before that contest.
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