The Los Angeles Lakers will host the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night as part of a doubleheader to tip off the 2025-26 NBA season.
While LeBron James is out, this will still be a star-studded matchup between Luka Dončić and Stephen Curry. Here’s how to watch the contest, injury reports for both teams, plus a game preview and prediction.
How to Watch Lakers-Warriors Opening Night Game?
Game: Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers
- Where: Crypto.com Arena | Los Angeles, Cali.
- When: 10 p.m. ET; Tuesday, Oct. 21
- TV: NBC
- Streaming: Peacock
Lakers-Warriors Injury Report
The following Lakers players are injured:
- LeBron James — OUT (sciatica)
- Maxi Kleber — OUT (oblique)
- Adou Thiero — OUT (knee)
The following Warriors players are injured:
- Alex Toohey — OUT (knee)
- Moses Moody — OUT (calf)
- De’Anthony Melton — OUT (knee)
- Jonathan Kuminga — Expected to play (ankle)
- Jimmy Butler III — Expected to play (ankle)
Lakers-Warriors Preview and Prediction
Two marquee franchises are playing in Los Angeles on the opening night of the 2025-26 season, and even with LeBron James sidelined, all signs point to this being a competitive game.
The Lakers were an even 6-6 last season when James sat, though it should be noted that they were far more effective without the future Hall of Famer at home (6-1) than on the road (0-5).
Austin Reaves figures to pick up some of the usage, and the fifth-year guard flirted with a 50-40-90 shooting line following the All-Star break last season on his way to averaging 22.2 points over those 29 contests. The Warriors are the healthier team, though they will be without Moses Moody (calf) for this game, and he’s expected to start more often than not.
Golden State was the best defense in the league last season when Jimmy Butler III was active (30-game sample) and added a new dimension via Al Horford this offseason: a veteran presence who proved last season that he can still be impactful when at full strength.
Basketball as we know it in 2025 is about bucket-getting. Both of these teams have a generational scorer who is capable of taking over, but I tend to favor teams with scoring depth in spots like this. Marcus Smart and Jarred Vanderbilt t project to get serious run tonight, and I’m not sure how much pressure they will realistically put on Golden State.
On the other side, the Dubs have Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, and Jonathan Kuminga — all of whom are capable of getting hot in a hurry. I think this game is close throughout and is ultimately decided by four-minute run when the reserves are on the court.
Prediction: Warriors win 118-111