At long, long last, the 2025-26 NBA season is here. And, as has become a fairly frequent thing over the last decade-plus, the Golden State Warriors have drawn an opening night assignment, as they visit the Los Angeles Lakers at 7:00 p.m. PT on NBC and Peacock.
It’s a thrilling matchup between division rivals, though neither team is at full strength, despite it being the first game of the season. Here’s the full injury report ahead of tonight’s opener.
Warriors
Out — Moses Moody (left soleus strain)
Moody had
a stellar training camp and a strong start to the preseason, and he looked prime to crack the starting rotation for the Warriors out of the gates. Unfortunately, he suffered a minor setback. Moody isn’t expected to miss much time, with Steve Kerr saying last week that he should be practicing before the opener, just not fully up to speed yet.
Out — De’Anthony Melton (left ACL surgery)
Melton still hasn’t played a game since tearing his ACL early last year during his first stint with the Dubs. Since then he’s been traded, reached free agency, and re-signed with the Warriors. He’s expected to miss a few weeks to start the year, but that’s a normal timeline, and nothing to be concerned about.
Out — Alex Toohey (left knee patellofemoral pain)
Toohey’s NBA debut won’t come on the first day of the season, though it probably wouldn’t have even if he were healthy. The No. 52 pick in June’s draft, who is on a two-way contract, figures to spend much of the year in the G League.
Probable — Jimmy Butler III (left ankle sprain)
Butler missed the preseason finale, but the Warriors have always sounded optimistic that he would be on the court for their season debut. You know he has no intention of missing a game like this.
Probable — Jonathan Kuminga (right ankle inflammation)
It hasn’t been the healthiest October for Kuminga, and the question for a while was whether or not he’d be good to go by the start of the season. Now it seems like the question has shifted to whether or not he’ll be in the starting five when they lace them up tonight.
Lakers
Out — LeBron James (right sciatica)
When the NBA scheduled the Warriors against the Lakers on opening night, you know they were salivating at the thought of the next chapter in the rivalry between James and Steph Curry. Sadly, we won’t be treated to that, as James is scheduled to miss the first few weeks of the season as his back heals.
Out — Maxi Kleber (left oblique strain)
Kleber certainly isn’t the most high profile player that the Lakers acquired in last season’s stunning trade with the Dallas Mavericks, but he figures to be a key piece of frontcourt depth for a team in dire need of it. Just not tonight.
Out — Adou Thiero (left knee surgery recovery)
Like Toohey, Thiero — the No. 36 pick in this year’s draft — will have to wait to make his NBA debut. He has returned to practice in a limited role, so he should be on the court before too terribly long.
And that’s the first of 82 regular season injury reports. Enjoy the action, Dub Nation!
