Phoenix Suns Slated To Face Division Rivals Early in Season

The 2026-27 Phoenix Suns season is right around the corner, as the team is roughly six weeks away from opening up training camp. 

One sign that the season is swiftly approaching is the NBA schedule slowly but surely coming together, with the first two games of Phoenix's 82 being revealed via Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic on Tuesday morning.

The Suns will take on the Golden State Warriors in a home matchup at the Mortgage Matchup Center on November 2, while presumably taking on the Los Angeles Lakers for the first time this season on the road on November 15.

The Suns-Warriors matchup will be the first one since Phoenix won the final play-in game to secure the eight seed in the Western Conference in April. This game will certainly carry much fanfare with it, as forward Dillon Brooks seemingly escalated the rivalry by throwing thinly veiled shots at the injured Jimmy Butler, who will not be active in this game. 

One of the other major headlines from this matchup is the clock ticking on Stephen Curry's career. The Hall of Fame player always draws intrigue when matched up against Suns legend Devin Booker. 

As far as the Lakers go, the two franchises are set to be in tight contention for a top six spot in the Western Conference this season, which only raises the stakes of the four games that they are set to play. Phoenix won the season series 3-2 in 2025-26, including a dominant win in a matchup that Booker exited early. 

The Lakers will look much different this season compared to last, as LeBron James departed. Rob Pelinka opted to reload the roster with pricey role players that are expected to fit megastar Luka Doncic in a more seamless manner on the court.

The jockeying between the Suns and Lakers becomes even more crucial under the backdrop of the latter not doing enough to support Doncic - at least perceptually. There's a non-zero chance that Doncic asks out of Los Angeles if the franchise ones again underwhelms, which opens the door for Phoenix to potentially swoop into the process. 

One thing that is certain is that Booker, Curry, and Doncic will be going toe-to-toe with one another in what will very likely be a tightly contested battle for division supremacy. 

The full schedule will be announced in full on Thursday, so stay tuned.