The Warriors won’t get long to settle in at Chase Center this season. Their first game in San Francisco comes in the second spot on the 2026-27 schedule, when Golden State hosts the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, Oct. 23.
That home opener arrives right after a road start against Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers, so the Warriors will open at home only after already getting one game under their belt. And this one brings a different kind of test: a Grizzlies group that looks much younger than the one Golden State has faced in recent seasons.
Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson have been the familiar names in this matchup, but Memphis is now being led by a wave of young talent. That group includes the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft, Cam Boozer, along with Cedric Coward, Zach Edey and Jaylen Wells.
Home openers haven’t exactly been kind to the Warriors since Chase Center opened in 2019. They’ve gone 2-5 in those games across seven seasons in San Francisco. Last year, though, they finally broke a three-game losing streak in home openers when Steph Curry poured in 42 points in an overtime win over the Nuggets.
Golden State handled Memphis well last season, sweeping the three meetings. One of those wins came after a 17-point comeback sparked by Pat Spencer, and Curry appeared in just one of the three games.
The schedule doesn’t give the Warriors much breathing room after their first night at home. Their home opener also begins the season’s first back-to-back, with a trip to face Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks and the Suns in Arizona the next day.
October is light on home dates for Golden State, with only two games in San Francisco during the month. November, though, opens with a long homestand at Chase Center.
In Other News...
Warriors Suddenly Have A Jordan Poole Question Fans Cant Ignore
Jordan Pooles name briefly sent a familiar ripple through Warriors circles after a false report claimed the Pelicans had waived him and Golden State was keeping tabs on a possible reunion. It was the kind of rumor that gets instantly latched onto in the Bay Area, where Pooles time with the Warriors still carries plenty of weight and any hint of a return naturally invites speculation about how the roster might look if the opportunity ever surfaced.
For now, though, the path back appears distant. New Orleans is not operating as if a split is imminent, and the expectation is that the team will see whether a new voice under Jahmahl Mosley can coax more from Poole before entertaining anything more dramatic. His recent performance and contract situation remain part of the conversation, but the real question for Warriors fans is less about whether the door is open today than whether it could become relevant later. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Kuminga Is At The Center Of A New Cavaliers Debate
Jonathan Kumingas name keeps surfacing in trade chatter, and now the Cavaliers are the latest team weighing whether his upside is worth the cost. A rival scout poured some cold water on the idea, framing Clevelands interest around the kind of deal that would require real rotation pieces going out in return. For a team that has spent time looking at ways to sharpen its wing athleticism and add more juice on the perimeter, Kuminga remains the kind of swing-for-the-fences target that can also create a lot of internal debate.
Clevelands search is not limited to Kuminga, either. The Cavaliers are also pursuing Peyton Watson, and even with Watsons recent performance, there is still uncertainty about how his game would translate in Clevelands structure. With sign-and-trade possibilities in the mix, the front office is trying to balance talent, fit and the cost of making a move, which is exactly why this is becoming such a tricky conversation rather than a straightforward upgrade. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg Is Bringing Real Edge To This Battle
Yaxel Lendeborg has already shown he is not coming into the Warriors with a shy approach. The rookie forward has backed up his reputation with strong college and Summer League production, and he has brought that same confidence into a matchup that naturally gets attention around the league. For Golden State, that kind of edge matters as much as any box-score number, especially for a player trying to carve out a role early.
Stephen Curry has already acknowledged what Lendeborg can bring, which only adds to the intrigue around his place on this roster. The next question is how that confidence translates when the games start counting for real, particularly in a physical matchup against Phoenix and Dillon Brooks. For the Warriors, that is the kind of test that can quickly show whether a rookie is just talking like a pro or ready to play like one. [Read more 🡒]