Power Ranking Lakers' Most Important Games of 2023-24 NBA Regular Season
The Los Angeles Lakers will open the 2023-24 NBA season with a real opportunity to cement themselves as championship contenders.
Two opportunities, in fact.
In the first game of their season—and the league's at large—they'll rumble with the defending champion Denver Nuggets, who swept them out of last season's Western Conference finals. Two nights later, they'll lock horns with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and the new-look Phoenix Suns.
Between the quality of competition and the chance to send an early message to the rest of the league, those games rank among the five most important on L.A.'s upcoming schedule. Let's find out exactly where they land and which other outings populate the list.
5. Dec. 25 vs. Boston Celtics
1 of 5
The Lakers and Celtics are the two most storied organizations in the history of this league, and their rivalry has had direct implications on the championship race for decades upon decades.
So, it's only natural these teams will link up in a prime TV slot (5 p.m. ET) on Christmas. This will also be L.A.'s first-look at this revamped Boston roster, which now features Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Scoring the first win over a team that could be looming in the Finals would be a welcome confidence boost for this Lakers squad.
This could be the most-watched game of the Lakers' season, but the fact it's against an out-of-conference opponent lessens its importance a bit.
4. Feb. 28 at Los Angeles Clippers
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Because the Clippers are seemingly always held back by the injury bug, this intracity rivalry has never quite amounted to what these star-studded rosters say it should be.
Since Kawhi Leonard and Paul George joined forces in 2019, the Clippers and Lakers have never drawn each other in the postseason. That could, however, happen at any time, as the healthy versions of both teams look like top-shelf title contenders.
This game will be the final of four meetings between the Pacific Division rivals, so it could have some tie-breaking stakes on the line. This also comes after a road game in Phoenix and is on the first night of a back-to-back for the Lakers, so the schedule-makers didn't do the Purple and Gold any favors here.
3. Oct. 26 vs. Phoenix Suns
3 of 5
The stars will be out in full force for this game, as we'll have Durant, Booker and Beal on one side with LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves on the other. That alone makes it a can't-miss matchup for hoops fans, but it's also a massive measuring stick for both squads.
L.A. fully bought into the success it enjoyed after an active trade season in 2022-23, re-signing nearly all of its key free agents and making some external additions as well. The Lakers clearly believe in the championship chances of this core, even though it was pretty forgettable for much of last season (39 losses and a trip to the play-in tournament).
L.A., of course, righted the ship late and eventually reeled off two postseason series wins, but some may still remain skeptical of this club's elite status. Taking care of a talented team like the Suns—a Pacific Division rival—early on could help quiet that skepticism.
4. Oct. 24 at Denver Nuggets
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The Lakers and Nuggets squared off in last season's conference finals and seemingly haven't stopped talking about each other ever since. So, yes, even though this will be L.A.'s first game of the season and it's not against a division foe, it still feels like the second-biggest game of the Lakers' season.
"There was just so much [trash talk] going on it was like, 'All right, we get it, y'all won,'" Davis said at media day. "But me and Bron had some conversations like, 'We can't wait [to play them again.]'"
As the old adage goes, if the Lakers want to be the best, they'll have to beat the best. And until someone proves otherwise, the Nuggets deserve to be called the NBA's best.
1. Feb. 22 at Golden State Warriors
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Even in a best-case scenario, it's hard to envision the Lakers running away with the West. Beyond the sheer talent of their competitors, this just isn't a group positioned to go full-throttle all season. Recent history suggests both James and Davis will miss time, and L.A. will be cautious about leaning too heavily on its stars in hopes of keeping them fresh for the playoffs.
That's a long-winded way of saying that even if things are going great for the Lakers, they'll likely be playing a bunch of meaningful games down the stretch. That's why this contest—the first one coming out of the All-Star break—looms larger than the rest.
Both James and the Warriors have seen time and again that they'll likely have to handle the other if they want to win it all. So, getting a win in this spot would be a huge momentum boost for either side, not to mention a possible edge for any tie-breaking scenarios between the two Pacific Division rivals.
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