The NBA has officially released the full 2025-26 schedule, and the Los Angeles Lakers are in for a season packed with marquee matchups, heavy travel, and plenty of national attention. With 34 nationally televised games and multiple long road trips, the Purple and Gold will have little time to rest as they chase another playoff run.
This year’s slate features 14 back-to-backs, including several against playoff-caliber opponents, plus an 8-game road trip, two 6-game trips, and an 8-game homestand that could make or break their season. From a grueling midseason gauntlet to multiple sets of back-to-back games, here are the biggest takeaways from the Lakers’ 2025-26 schedule.
Heavy National Spotlight
It’s no surprise that the Lakers are set to be one of the NBA’s featured teams next season. With a whopping 34 nationally televised games, they are tied with the Warriors, Thunder, and Knicks for the most time under the spotlight. While this is a slight decline from last season (39 in 2024-25), it tells us that the Lakers are still considered a premium NBA franchise.
Now that Luka Doncic is on the squad, the Lakers are expected to attract even more eyes to their games, and it should help the NBA to restore some of its declining viewership. This upcoming season could also be the final run for LeBron James, which is arguably the biggest reason of all for so many Lakers games to be nationally televised.
Brutal Back-To-Back Count
The attention is great for the brand, but the grind will be real. The biggest example of this is the frequency of back-to-backs. The Lakers have 14 back-to-backs on the schedule, just shy of the league-high mark (76ers, Warriors, Suns, Hornets, and Wizards have the most).
For a Lakers team that is still so reliant on a 40-year-old superstar to deliver for them, they need all the rest they can get, and having no break between games is less than ideal. Despite a push to decrease back-to-backs across the board, the number has actually gone up for the Lakers, who went from 13 in 2024-25 to 14 for the upcoming season. How many of those games LeBron plays in remains to be seen.
Monster Road Trips
January’s 8-game road trip stands out as one of the toughest tests of the year. A gauntlet like that, in the dead of winter, can make or break a season. To endure such a brutal stretch in the middle of the season is tough, and it will only make it harder to stay consistent throughout the campaign.
Of course, that’s only the tip of the iceberg for the road trips (an area they’ve struggled with before). The Lakers are also scheduled for two separate six-game trips and one five-game trip late in the season, right before the final playoff push. Those road trips will test the Lakers’ resolve like never before, and it could hurt them if the players lose focus at any point.
Critical Season In Los Angeles
The schedule piles on the challenges, particularly in late January and February, when the Lakers face the Nuggets, Clippers, Mavericks, Cavaliers, Knicks, 76ers, Warriors, Thunder, Spurs, Mavericks again, Celtics, and Magic in a relentless run. With Luka, LeBron, and a loaded supporting cast, however, L.A. has the firepower to survive it.
Ultimately, this season will demand mental toughness as much as talent. If the Lakers can navigate the back-to-backs, survive the road-heavy grind, and capitalize on their easier early stretch, they’ll enter the playoffs battle-tested and ready to make another title run.
