The Warriors’ 2026-27 schedule is starting to take shape, and it opens with a heavyweight test.
Golden State will begin the season on Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. PT against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles. ESPN will televise the game, which lands on the second day of the NBA season.
That matchup comes with a different look on the Lakers side. The Warriors will see the new version of the team in the post-LeBron James era, with Luka Doncic fronting the group alongside Austin Reaves and newly acquired big man Walker Kessler.
The NBA’s opening day is set for Oct. 20 and will feature three games: the Boston Celtics at the Detroit Pistons, LeBron James' Sixers against the defending champion New York Knicks, and a Western Conference FInals rematch between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
Golden State has handled season openers well lately. The Warriors have won four of their last five opener games, including last season’s victory over the Denver Nuggets. Over their last 10 season-openers, they’ve gone 6-4, a stretch that dates back to 2016.
There’s also a holiday showcase already on the books. The Warriors will host Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets on Christmas Day at Chase Center in San Francisco, taking the late-night slot in what will be Golden State’s 14th straight appearance on Christmas Day.
Opening night and Christmas Day are the first two games from the Warriors’ 2026-27 schedule to be revealed.
In Other News...
Warriors Opening Night Snub Puts New Pressure On Stephen Curry
The Warriors will have to wait an extra day to get their season started, and that alone says something about where they stand in the leagues current hierarchy. Golden State was left off the NBAs opening night slate on Oct. 20, a rare omission for a franchise that has spent much of the past decade as appointment viewing. Instead, the Warriors will open the regular season Oct. 21 against the Lakers, a matchup that should still draw plenty of attention even without the leagues spotlight.
There is a consolation prize, of course, and it is one the Warriors have come to expect: a Christmas Day home game against the Nuggets, extending their 14-year run on the holiday showcase. But opening night matters, too, because it is where the league often signals which teams are central to the story line. For Stephen Curry and a Warriors group still trying to reassert itself among the NBAs headliners, not being part of that first wave adds a little more pressure to make sure the seasons next big stage looks different. [Read more 🡒]
Stephen Curry Just Put A Massive Warriors Decision In Focus
Mike Dunleavy Jr. tried to calm any nerves around Stephen Currys future by making clear that the Warriors believe their franchise star will finish his career in Golden State. For a team built around Currys entire era, the question is less about whether he belongs there and more about how the next chapter gets handled, especially with the organization still navigating what comes after a long run of contention.
Currys contract situation keeps the conversation from fading away. He has the ability to shape the timeline himself, and if he chooses not to lock in his long-term future now, the Warriors could be staring at a much bigger decision next summer. Dunleavy made it clear the front office understands that Curry has earned the right to steer his own path, which is why this storyline remains one of the most important on Golden States radar. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Get An Early Test Against A Star-Powered Lakers Team
The Warriors will get an immediate measuring stick when the NBA opens the 2026-27 season on Oct. 21, with Golden State set to meet the Lakers in a marquee Western Conference showcase. It is the kind of early spotlight that can shape the mood around a season before it really gets going, especially for a Warriors team coming off a year that ended without a playoff berth.
Los Angeles will bring plenty of intrigue into that opener as well, starting its first game without LeBron James after his reported offseason move to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Lakers still have the look of a team built to contend after making the playoffs last season, even if their run ended at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, which gives this matchup an added edge for Golden State right out of the gate. [Read more 🡒]