Lakers Host the Warriors in Their Season Opener on Wednesday: Doncic and Reaves Lead a Rebuilt Roster as Curry Is Expected to Play and Butler and Porzingis Sit Out
The Los Angeles Lakers open their 2026-27 season at home on Wednesday, October 21, hosting the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena at 7 p.m. Pacific Time, in an ESPN broadcast at 10 p.m. Eastern. It is the first time since the 2018-19 season that the Lakers have not played on opening night. This is also the Lakers' first season in years without LeBron James, who joined the Philadelphia 76ers over the summer and made his debut for them on Tuesday's opening night; Los Angeles has rebuilt its roster around Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves.
Dončić won the league scoring title last season, when he averaged 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists. According to pregame figures, Dončić and Reaves averaged 56.8 points a game together last season, and the Lakers won 30 of the 41 games both played. Reaves averaged a career-high 23.3 points last season and signed a new contract. Los Angeles parted with six significant contributors and returned only eight players, accounting for 42% of last season's minutes: Walker Kessler and Sandro Mamukelashvili were added inside, Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes and Jaden Hardy joined the backcourt, and JJ Redick coaches the team. Golden State, by contrast, brings back nearly the same group that finished last season.
On injuries, the Warriors' pregame report lists Jimmy Butler, still recovering from an ACL injury, as out, along with Kristaps Porziņģis and Moses Moody, who is recovering from patellar tendon repair; Brandin Podziemski is out with back soreness, and Charles Bassey is questionable. Stephen Curry is listed as probable with right ankle soreness: Curry limped off during the Warriors' open practice for fans on Sunday, but told coach Steve Kerr he was fine, practiced in full on Monday, and Kerr said he expects Curry to play on Wednesday. For the Lakers, rookie Cameron Carr (right oblique strain) and Adou Thiero (left knee effusion) are out, and Collin Sexton (right soleus strain) is questionable; Dončić and Reaves, both hurt during the April playoffs, are available without restrictions.
In the recent series history, pregame records show the Lakers swept the final three meetings of last season, including wins of 119-103 and 129-101 at Chase Center in February and April 2026; Golden State's most recent win in the matchup was a 119-109 victory at Crypto.com Arena in the teams' opener on October 21, 2025.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 金州勇士球星斯蒂芬·库里赛前热身资料图。照片：Cyrus Saatsaz 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经维基共享资源。 / File photo: Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry during pregame warmups. Photo by Cyrus Saatsaz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
- 2026-10-21Lakers Host the Warriors in Their Season Opener on Wednesday: Doncic and Reaves Lead a Rebuilt Roster as Curry Is Expected to Play and Butler and Porzingis Sit OutThis story
- 2026-10-21Lakers Beat Warriors 127-105 in Season Opener: Doncic Scores 28, Kessler Perfect 12-for-12 With 10 Dunks
