Lakers vs Warriors opens the 2026-27 season tonight at Crypto.com Arena, with tip-off at 7 p.m. PT on ESPN. It is the first opening night in eight years without LeBron James in a Lakers uniform. James left in free agency for the Philadelphia 76ers, and this is now Luka Doncic’s team. The Los Angeles Lakers are 6.5-point favorites, per ESPN’s betting line. Golden State arrives without Kristaps Porzingis, Jimmy Butler III, Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski, and Stephen Curry is listed as probable with a sore right ankle.
We covered the roster deadline and Dalton Knecht’s release yesterday. This is the game-day guide.
Lakers vs Warriors: Game Info
- When: Wednesday, Oct. 21, 7 p.m. PT
- Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles
- TV: ESPN (national), per ESPN’s schedule. Radio for Golden State is 95.7 The Game, per the Warriors’ game notes.
- Line: Lakers -6.5, total 234.5 (ESPN)
- Uniforms: the Warriors’ game notes list Golden State in blue Icon jerseys and the Lakers in gold Icon jerseys.
- Last season: the Lakers won the series 3-1, per the Warriors’ notes, and finished 53-29.
Lakers Injury Report
The NBA’s official injury report, as reported by Lakers Daily on Tuesday evening:
- Collin Sexton: questionable, right soleus strain. He returned to full practice Monday after missing the whole preseason.
- Cameron Carr: out, right oblique strain.
- Adou Thiero: out, left knee effusion (swelling).
- Walker Kessler: available, playing with a splint on his left finger.
Sexton told reporters Monday, “I was super excited to be back out there. It was a great day,” but he did not commit to playing. USA Today describes him as the expected primary ball-handler off the bench when he is healthy.
Warriors Injury Report
From the Warriors’ official game notes:
- Stephen Curry: probable, right ankle soreness. ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported that Curry rolled the ankle during Sunday’s open scrimmage, then practiced fully Monday. Steve Kerr said Curry told him he was “fine.”
- Brandin Podziemski: out, low back soreness.
- Charles Bassey: questionable, right patellar tendinopathy.
- Kristaps Porzingis: out, not with the team. ESPN reports a private health issue.
- Jimmy Butler III (ACL) and Moses Moody (patellar tendon): out. CBS Sports reports both are not expected back until January.
The game notes listed Yaxel Lendeborg, Draymond Green, Bassey, Podziemski and Curry as the projected starters before Podziemski was ruled out. With Porzingis gone, Green is expected to play more center, and Kerr is comfortable with it. “It’s different now that we have Yaxel,” Kerr said, per CBS Sports. “We don’t feel so small if Draymond’s the five this year, with Yaxel next to him.”
Who Starts for the Lakers?
ESPN’s Ben Golliver reported Tuesday that Doncic, Austin Reaves and Kessler will start. Redick has not announced who fills the two forward spots. Redick used 12 different starters during the 2-3 preseason, per ESPN.
In the preseason finale, Redick started Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle next to the big three and moved Quentin Grimes, who had started every other preseason game, to the bench, according to The Sporting Tribune. The Los Angeles Times identified Williams as the likely first choice at power forward, with Jake LaRavia and Sandro Mamukelashvili also in the mix. The lineup is unconfirmed until the Lakers announce it before tip-off.
Redick: “The Biggest Unknown”
Redick was asked Tuesday what he still doesn’t know about this team. He did not talk about the rotation. “That’s different for every team,” he said, per ESPN. “That’s different, maybe, in how we deal with adversity in November versus how we deal with adversity in March. Hopefully, there’s growth throughout the season so we can deal with adversity in the right way, and that will ultimately prepare us for a deep playoff run.”
He also said, per USA Today, “I think this is going to be a team that is really committed to each other. And that can take you a long way.” Infanity TV was at Tuesday’s practice:
Also from Tuesday: Walker Kessler: “I’m So Excited to Get Back Out There”.
Three Things to Watch
- The new core, for real this time. USA Today reports that Doncic, Reaves and Kessler played only 13 minutes together in the preseason. Reaves admitted to “growing pains, just lack of reps together so far,” per CBS Sports.
- Rebounding. CBS Sports notes the Lakers averaged 39.4 rebounds in the preseason, second-worst in the league. Without Porzingis, Golden State is small, which gives Kessler a chance to win the glass.
- Three-point defense. The Warriors’ notes say Golden State ranked second in made threes (15.7) and first in attempts (44.1) last season. Thybulle and Williams starting would help against shooters.
The Warriors’ Side
Golden State went 37-45 last season, per ESPN’s standings, and its own notes show the team lost seven of its last eight games. Curry, who turns 39 in March, missed 27 games last season with a right knee problem, according to ESPN. The Warriors were careful with his preseason minutes, and Kerr said he will practice less to manage his workload. This is Kerr’s 13th season, and he has a 604-353 record. Golden State will also lean on Al Horford, who is 40, along with Bassey if he can play and rookie Lendeborg. The Warriors beat the Lakers 101-89 in Las Vegas in the preseason on Oct. 13, when Doncic did not play.
The New-Look Roster
Nine new players are on the roster, per CBS Sports. The Lakers traded for Kessler in a sign-and-trade with the Utah Jazz, drafted Carr and added Grimes, Mamukelashvili, Sexton, Williams, Thybulle and Kevon Looney in free agency, according to ESPN. Reaves signed a four-year, $184.8 million contract, per USA Today, and USA Today projects a 48-34 season.
Source Notes
- Sexton’s injury: the official report says right soleus strain, per Lakers Daily. USA Today says right calf strain, and the soleus is a calf muscle. The Los Angeles Times had described it as a lower right leg injury.
- Thiero and Carr on Monday: Lakers Daily says both did modified work, while the Times reported they missed practice. We have not determined which is right.
- Last-season records: the Lakers’ 53-29 in the Warriors’ notes matches ESPN’s 2025-26 standings, which list Golden State at 37-45.
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