The scoreboard still reads 0-0, and the next three weeks are rehearsal before the curtain rises. Luka Doncic and a roster that hasn't shed a single body get four preseason tests, three of them against the team waiting across the floor on opening night.
A Warriors Trilogy
Golden State shows up three separate times before anything counts. The Lakers visit Chase Center October 6, host the Warriors again October 13, then open the regular season against the same club October 21 on ESPN. Sacramento gets its own preview too, a road game October 5 followed by a home rematch October 8 on ESPN2. By the time the banner-raising night arrives, both October rivals will already feel familiar.
Redick's Audition Window
JJ Redick opens his second season with no injuries logged and a full twenty-one-man camp roster to sort through four exhibition games. That's the whole point of the stretch: minutes to hand out, a starting five to settle, and depth pieces like Jake LaRavia, Ziaire Williams and Sandro Mamukelashvili auditioning for rotation spots before the group narrows for opening night.
Doncic's First Lap
Luka Doncic gets his first training camp as a Laker after arriving by trade last season and posting 33.5 points and 8.3 assists a night once he took the floor. Austin Reaves, who averaged 23.3 points alongside him, and Walker Kessler, who flashed 14.4 points and 10.8 rebounds in a five-game sample, round out the trio Redick is building the preseason schedule around.
When do the Lakers play their first game of the 2026-27 season?
Preseason opens October 5 at Sacramento, and the regular season begins October 21 at home against Golden State on ESPN.
How many times do the Lakers face the Warriors before the regular season starts?
Twice in preseason, October 6 in San Francisco and October 13 at home, before a third meeting doubles as the October 21 opener.
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