Two of the game’s most storied franchises meet on NBA's Opening Night.
The Warriors and Lakers, who have combined for 24 NBA titles, including 10 over the last 25 years, square off in the City of Angels. The matchup features top superstars, including Steph Curry and Luka Dončić. The game tips at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.
Below, we'll break down our Warriors vs. Lakers prediction and NBA Picks, including the top player picks on PrizePicks real money NBA game, including Warriors guards Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler, and Lakers guard Luka Dončić.
Warriors vs. Lakers Prediction, NBA Picks
Golden State Warriors Preview
- The Warriors are coming off a 48-win season, which saw them win the play-in game for the seven seed, then upset the second-seeded Rockets before losing in the Conference Semifinals.
- Last season, the Dubs led the league in assist percentage at 71.4%, but had an offensive rating of 114.2, ranked 16th in the Association.
- On the defensive side, the Warriors had a rating of 111.0, good for seventh-best in the NBA.
- It was a relatively quiet offseason for the Warriors, who re-signed F Jonathan Kuminga and G Gary Payton II, before adding F/C Al Horford and SG De’Anthony Melton.
Los Angeles Lakers Preview
- The Lakers are coming off a 50-win season, which saw them earn the three-seed before falling to the six-seed Timberwolves in the first round.
- L.A. finished last season 19th in points per game with 113.4 PPG, their lowest ranking in points since 2020-21 season.
- LeBron James will miss the opener with sciatica and is not expected back until early November. It marks the first time he has sat out his team’s opener in his 23-year career.
- The Lakers have failed to advance out of the first round in each of the last two years. The last time the Lakers went three straight years without seeing Conference Semis was 2013-19, when they missed the playoffs six straight years after losing in first round in 2013.
Warriors vs. Lakers Opening Night Picks for NBA DFS & PrizePicks
Here are three Warriors vs. Lakers player picks for Opening Night for PrizePicks real money NBA game, including Warriors guards Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler, and Lakers guard Luka Dončić.
Pick More or Less on these projections on PrizePicks — plus thousands more — to win real money this NBA season.
Warriors PG Steph Curry Projection vs. Lakers: 25.5 points
- Including playoffs, Warriors G Steph Curry scored 25+ points in 37 of 77 games last season.
- In 47 career games vs. the Lakers, Curry is averaging 23.3 points per game, which ranks 24th of his 29 NBA opponents.
- This will be Curry’s 17th Opening Night start. In the previous 16, he has averaged 21.4 points per game, hitting 25+ points in six of them.
Warriors G Jimmy Butler Projection vs. Lakers: 18.5 points
- In 30 regular season games after being traded from the Miami Heat to the Warriors, guard Jimmy Butler averaged 17.9 points per game.
- Butler scored 20+ points in his last three regular season games and in six of the 10 postseason games in which he played 20+ minutes.
- Butler has scored 19+ points in seven of 11 previous Opening Night starts.
Lakers G Luka Dončić Projection vs. Warriors: 8 rebounds
- In 50 games played last season with the Mavericks and Lakers, L.A. guard Luka Dončić averaged 28.2 PPG, good for fourth in the NBA.
- This is Dončić’s eighth career Opening Night start. In his previous seven, he averaged 27.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game.
- In 21 regular season games with the Lakers, Dončić had 8+ rebounds 13 times, and had 8+ rebounds in two of his five postseason games.
Make Opening Night NBA Picks on PrizePicks
The 2025 season was considered a disappointment for both the Lakers and Warriors, neither of whom made it past the second round of the playoffs. Can either team, both loaded with superstars, get off to a good start in 2025-26? Luka Dončić meets Steph Curry on NBA Opening Night at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.
As the NBA season begins, there's no better place to get real money action with your NBA predictions than on PrizePicks.
There is a wide variety of player stat projections on the NBA board, so you can make predictions on whatever you'd like. Just pick at least two players and pick More or Less on their stats to build your Lineup on PrizePicks.
Check out the Playbook throughout the NBA season for more NBA predictions for your PrizePicks and NBA DFS Lineups.
