**Editor’s Note**: The original article was published on SSR, and all data within the article are up to the time of publication (August 15th, local time). The dates and times mentioned are all local time. The views expressed in this article are not associated with the translator or the platform.
On Thursday afternoon, the NBA released the full schedule for the 2025-26 season. Although there is no surprise about the opponents on the schedule, there are still many points of discussion. The Lakers remain one of the most attractive teams in the league, with 34 nationally broadcast games, tying them for first place with the defending champion Thunder, Warriors, and Knicks. With 14 back-to-back games, they might rank in the middle of the league, which is the same as last year’s total. Last season, the most back-to-back games in the league were 17. There is still much to interpret, so let’s take a look at some key games and schedule stages this season.
A fixture on the Lakers’ schedule is the “Grammy Road Trip” from late January to early February. Last year, it was during this away trip that the team acquired Luka Dončić in a trade. Although there will almost certainly be fewer “big games” this season, this will be an especially tough schedule for the Lakers. Here is their eight-game consecutive away trip, which is also the longest this season:
January 20th – Away game against the Nuggets
January 22nd – Away game against the Clippers
January 24th – Away game against the Mavericks
January 26th – Away game against the Bulls
January 28th – Away game against the Cavaliers
January 30th – Away game against the Wizards
February 1st – Away game against the Knicks
February 3rd – Away game against the Nets
Although some non-playoff teams are involved, especially during the Lakers’ Eastern trip, this is still a tough away trip. The Nuggets have always been a tough team, and the Clippers are likely to be at the forefront of the West next season. For Luka, playing away to his former team, the Mavericks, will be an emotional journey, although it may not be as special as last season. Additionally, the Cavaliers will be one of the strongest teams in the league, and Madison Square Garden will always be a challenge for LeBron. This will undoubtedly be a challenging schedule for the Lakers, but it is not their only long away trip. They also have a six-game road trip in March.
On March 16th and 18th, they will play away games against the Rockets. On March 19th, they will face the Heat away, and on March 21st and 23rd, they will visit the Magic and Pistons respectively. On March 25th, they will play away against the Pacers. This away trip may not be very difficult for the Lakers on paper, but it is not easy as well. The trip will start with the two toughest games against the Rockets, which will set the tone for the entire away trip.
The timing of this schedule is also significant. The Lakers will enter the final month of the season, and if we refer to last season, the ranking competition will be very fierce, with every game being critical.
Between these two away trips, the Lakers will have nearly five weeks to stay almost entirely in Los Angeles. They are likely to return to Los Angeles on February 3rd. From then on, until they depart for Houston for a back-to-back game on March 15th, they will only play three away games, leave California once, and the farthest place they will go is Denver.
This period starts with an eight-game consecutive home schedule, interrupted only by the All-Star Weekend. Despite this, for most Lakers players, the only time they may leave Los Angeles in mid-February is for a short break.
This home schedule is not easy, as it will include games against the Warriors, Thunder, Clippers, and Celtics, but all these games will be played at the Crypto.com Arena.
Afterwards, they will have their only “away trip” during this period, playing away games against the Suns on February 26th and the Warriors on February 28th. Then they will return to their home games for two matches, go to Denver for one game, and then play five more home games against teams like the Knicks, Timberwolves, and Nuggets.
In summary, in 37 days, the Lakers will only stay in hotels for two nights, with 15 home games in 18 matches.
Potential NBA Cup Away Trip
Currently, the Lakers have a six-game away schedule before and after the potential NBA Cup playoffs. Before the break, they will play away games against the Raptors, Celtics, and 76ers.
If the Lakers advance to the playoffs and need to play away games, this away trip will become four games. If they win, they will play at least one game in Las Vegas. If they lose, they may also need to play an away game that week.
Afterward, they will visit the Jazz, Clippers, and Suns on the road, which means there is a small possibility that the Lakers won’t have a home game from December 1st against the Suns until their Christmas showdown against the Rockets.
The Lakers will start their new season with two home games, but neither will be easy as they face the Warriors and Timberwolves. Then they will travel to face the Kings before returning home to play the Trail Blazers.
Following that, they will challenge the Timberwolves on the road and then face the Grizzlies on Halloween. Four of their first six games are against playoff teams, including two against the team that thoroughly defeated them in the playoffs.
In their showdown with the Timberwolves, the Lakers will soon have the opportunity to assess their strength against last year’s squad.
After the opening games, the Lakers will enjoy a relatively easy schedule that will last most of November and extend into December.
Although there will be a five-game road trip during this period, they will play twice against the Trail Blazers, Spurs, Hornets, Pelicans, and Jazz, as well as once against the Suns. Although some of the listed teams may have playoff aspirations, and the November schedule also includes games against the Thunder, Clippers, and Mavericks, this still provides a pretty good platform for the team to find their rhythm at the beginning of the season.
Last season, the final rankings were not determined until the final few games, making the matches against the Thunder, Mavericks, and Rockets at the end of the season particularly important.
This season, there will be equally tough games in the final six matches.
On April 2nd, away game against the Thunder
On April 5th, away game against the Mavericks
On April 7th, home game against the Thunder
On April 9th, away game against the Warriors
On April 10th, home game against the Suns
On April 12th, home game against the Jazz
This is similar to last season’s matches against the Thunder and Mavericks.
At this stage of the season, the Thunder once again leads all other teams, so their motivation is to stay healthy. However, in the game against the Mavericks, they are likely to face a Mavericks team with Kyle Lowry.
The match against the Warriors could also have a significant impact on the rankings at this stage of the season. Fortunately, in the last two games of the season, the Suns and Jazz will be among the worst teams in the league, giving the Lakers two excellent opportunities to solidify their playoff ranking.