NBA Schedule Leaks: LeBron James & Lakers To Host Stephen Curry & Warriors On Opening Night

The Los Angeles Lakers will host the Houston Rockets on Christmas Day during the 2025-26 NBA season, a matchup that surprised many who anticipated the Lakers facing the Dallas Mavericks due to the emerging rivalry with Luka Doncic or the Golden State Warriors because of the long-standing LeBron James-Stephen Curry rivalry. This shift occurred as the NBA sought to change things up after the Lakers played the Warriors on Christmas Day the previous season.

For Opening Night on October 21, 2025, the NBA announced two marquee games: the Golden State Warriors will visit the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Houston Rockets will face the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. This Lakers-Warriors matchup will feature James and Curry as headliners, despite the Christmas surprise, and marks the start of the season on NBC.

The Lakers are aiming to build on their recent Opening Night success, having snapped a six-game losing streak in last season's opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and hope to establish a win streak and momentum by defeating the Warriors this year.

Golden State's roster for the game remains uncertain, as they are the only NBA team yet to make an offseason move, primarily due to unresolved restricted free agency for Jonathan Kuminga. The Warriors have been linked to veterans like Al Horford and DeAnthony Melton, players the Lakers also reportedly showed interest in.

James and Curry, who have faced each other 27 times in the regular season with LeBron winning 14 matchups, will be the focal point of the Lakers-Warriors game, highlighting their enduring rivalry.

No Eastern Conference teams are scheduled for Opening Night, reflecting the NBA's emphasis on the competitive Western Conference. The Thunder-Rockets game will include Kevin Durant's return to Oklahoma City as the Thunder raise their first championship banner.

Additionally, the season opener against the Warriors will kick off Luka Doncic's first full season with the Lakers, following an offseason where he transformed his body to improve fitness and aims to silence critics.