The Phoenix Suns will play the Los Angeles Lakers for the first time this 2026-27 regular season on Nov. 15 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, sources informed The Arizona Republic.
The full 2026-27 NBA regular season schedule will be released Aug. 13 at noon MST.
The Suns went 3-2 against the Lakers last season as they played an extra game against each other Dec. 14 after losing in the NBA Cup quarterfinals. Phoenix fell to the Lakers, 116-114, as LeBron James made two out of three free throws to give the Lakers a 115-114 lead with three seconds left at Mortgage Matchup Center.
Devin Booker was called for a foul on James' 3-point attempt. The Suns challenged the call and lost the challenge.
Phoenix’s three wins against the Lakers last season were
by an average margin of 14.6 points.
The Lakers won their final matchup of the season, 101-73, April 10 in Los Angeles as Jalen Green (right knee soreness) and Booker (right ankle) sat out. It was the fewest points Phoenix scored last season.
James posted 28 points, 12 assists and six rebounds in what was the second of a back-to-back for the Lakers, who were without injured Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Luke Kennard scored 19 points for the Lakers. He signed a two-year deal with the Suns this offseason.
The Suns-Lakers matchup will have a different feeling with James no longer with the Lakers. The testy relationship between Dillon Brooks and James continued with Brooks on a new team, as their history goes way back to the 2023 playoffs when Brooks was with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Brooks was ejected from the 116-114 loss to the Lakers last season after being called his second technical foul for unsportsmanlike physical contact with James during a dead ball situation.
A fired up Brooks had made a 3 to give Phoenix a 114-113 lead with 12.2 seconds left and approached James after the clutch basket.
Brooks attended Game 4 of the Oklahoma City Thunder-Lakers playoff series in Los Angeles last season. Sitting baseline, Brooks was captured on camera smiling at James, who was at the free throw line.
The Thunder swept the Lakers as Brooks watched in person what proved to be James' last game with the Lakers.
So Dillon Brooks did in fact see LeBron James last game with the Los Angeles Lakers.
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) June 30, 2026
Crazy. #Suns #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/d9OiWkE5ML
James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and four-time NBA champion, signed a two-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, but the Lakers will always be a heated rivalry for the Suns.
Phoenix and Los Angeles have four games scheduled against each other as both teams are in the Pacific Division.
The Lakers open the 2026-27 regular season against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 21 on ESPN, the Warriors announced Aug. 11.
The Suns face the Warriors for the first time this season Nov. 2 in Phoenix, sources informed The Republic. The Warriors are also in the Pacific Division.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: When do Suns play rival Lakers for first time in 2026-27 season?
