NBA Schedule 2018-19: When do Warriors play Lakers?

It may not be a Finals rematch, but with LeBron on the Lakers now, it will probably be closer to one than when the Warriors play the Cavaliers.

For four years in a row, the Warriors and the Cavaliers have met in the NBA Finals. Now, finally, no one expects that matchup to happen again as LeBron James left the Cavaliers to join the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason.

So when is the first time LeBron and the Warriors will clash as division rivals? The first meeting is at ORACLE Arena on Christmas night, with the ensuing matchups coming on Jan. 21, Feb. 2 and April 4. All four games are on national television.

Last year in the Finals, despite the presence of fellow All-Star Kevin Love, the Cavaliers were seemingly a one-man team taking on a juggernaut. LeBron was forced to try to do it all throughout the playoffs and, great as he is, he couldn’t win the title alone and the Warriors won their third championship in four years.

LeBron’s relocation to Los Angeles means that the matchup between the Warriors and Lakers may actually feel more like a Finals rematch than when the Warriors and Cavaliers play each other. The NBA seems to feel similarly as they have scheduled these two teams to play in marquee spots on both Christmas Day and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

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It will be a compelling matchup between LeBron and two of his greatest rivals – Steph Curry and Kevin Durant. While no one expects the Lakers to seriously challenge the Warriors as potential NBA Champions, these games between Los Angeles and Golden State promise to be compelling as personal dramas if nothing else.