Doncic's Health and Depth Questions Shape Warriors-Lakers Preseason Clash

The Lakers' sturdier core should be enough in a preseason game full of availability questions.

GSW @ LAL Oct 14, 2026 at 2:00 AM UTC

Preseason games rarely hinge on schematics, and this one will turn on who is actually available. The Lakers have three questionable players in Kessler, Collin Sexton and Ziaire Williams, so the rotation could look different from what coaches would use in the regular season. That uncertainty is the biggest variable on the home side, and it could limit how deep the Lakers can go with their preferred groupings.

The Warriors have bigger problems. Jimmy Butler is out with a knee injury as he works back from a torn ACL, and Moody is out with a knee injury too. Kristaps Porziņģis is questionable with an illness that has been described as a major concern. If he can't go, Golden State loses a frontcourt option and leans even harder on Stephen Curry to create offense. Curry will also see a familiar face in Kevon Looney, now with the Lakers, whose approach is to make Curry work, make everything difficult and keep a body on him at all times. That kind of physical attention can matter over a full night.

The Lakers' side looks steadier where it counts. Luka Doncic says he is fully healthy after using the summer to recover from the injury that cost him the playoffs last season, and that gives Los Angeles a clear focal point. Quentin Grimes is best positioned to take the open fourth starting spot after starting all three preseason games and shooting well, so the starting group already has some continuity.

Expect Curry to produce stretches of Golden State offense, but the Warriors' thin, uncertain roster should leave them short late. The Lakers have the more reliable star and a more settled starting group, even with their own injury questions. I'll take Los Angeles 112, Golden State 107.

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