 Lakers'Shannon Brown being defended by Warriors'Anthony Morrow during a2007–08 regular season game at theOracle Arena | |
| First meeting | November 28, 1948 Lakers 88, Warriors 67 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | October 21, 2025 Warriors 119, Lakers 109 |
| Next meeting | February 7, 2026 |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 485 |
| All-time series | 294–191 (LAL) |
| Regular season series | 265–178 (LAL) |
| Postseason results | 28–13 (LAL) |
| Longest win streak | LAL W12 |
| Current win streak | GSW W2 |
| Postseason history | |
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TheLakers–Warriors rivalry is aNational Basketball Association (NBA)rivalry between theLos Angeles Lakers and theGolden State Warriors.[1] Unlike most sports rivalries between Northern and Southern California, there is more mutual respect present between both teams as opposed to fierce animosity; such as theDodgers–Giants rivalry in the MLB or49ers–Rams rivalry of the NFL.[2][3][4] Geography plays a large role as both franchises are largely popular within the state, however; the Lakers have historically been extremely dominant in the series as they have won six of the seven playoff matchups against the Warriors, and have among the most championships in league history.[5][6][7][8] However, the Warriors had overcome years of playoff futility with the arrival of such players asStephen Curry,Klay Thompson, andDraymond Green during the 2010s, winning them four championships from 2015 to 2022.[9][10][11] The Lakers had overcome their own struggles following the retirement ofHall of Fame guardKobe Bryant, but rebuilt around strong free agent signings with the likes ofLeBron James andAnthony Davis, leading them to win the2020 NBA Finals. Both teams have met eight times in the postseason, combining for 38 division titles since both teams relocated to California in the early 1960s.[12] Notably, prior to his signing with the Lakers; LeBron James had faced off against Stephen Curry and the Warriors in four straightNBA Finals appearances from when he was a member of theCleveland Cavaliers.[13][14] Both teams combine for 24 championships between them. The Lakers lead the all time regular season series 265–178, and the postseason series 28–13.[15][16][17][18]
Both teams were introduced into the NBA during the late 1940s, the Warriors joining in 1946 as thePhiladelphia Warriors, while the Lakers joined in 1948 as theMinneapolis Lakers. Both franchises began a brief string of success by winning numerous championships by the end of the decade, and even leading into the 1950s. However, poor attendance began to plague both teams, leading to financial issues as the league was unable to support both. Lakers' ownerBob Short took notice of theDodgers relocation to Los Angeles in 1957, and sought a more lucrative market in California to help the Lakers stay financially viable. Short announced he was relocating the Lakers to Los Angeles for the 1960 season, quickly capitalizing on the growth within the city and helping the Lakers regain a strong following. Meanwhile, in 1961 Warriors ownerFranklin Mieuli had begun purchasing majority shares in the team. Though iconic players such asWilt Chamberlain drew modest attendance numbers, Mieuli took notice of the Lakers' relocation to California and sought to do the same in an effort to increase his team's value.
The Warriors began play in San Francisco during the1962–63 NBA season, but found crowds to be adversely responding to the move as initial response saw attendance dip to record-lows. Shortly afterwards; the drafting ofNate Thurmond as a side-weapon for Chamberlain did in fact improve attendance as the team would make an appearance in the1964 NBA Finals. Despite their best efforts to improve in contention with Chamberlain, he was traded to the upstart-Philadelphia 76ers. Both teams proved to be strong postseason contenders through the 1960s, but ironically would fall to the dynasty of theBill Russell-ledBoston Celtics. Near the end of the decade, both teams would find themselves brand-new arenas in Oakland and Los Angeles respectively. The Warriors began the 1966–67 season strong in their new arena, making an appearance in the Finals, but ironically would fall to thePhiladelphia 76ers. Chamberlain would also be traded to the Lakers prior to the start of the 1968 season, after being awarded league MVP the following year.
Despite the frequent championship losses, both teams finally managed to win a championship through the 1970s, the Lakers in1972 (led by Chamberlain andJerry West), and the Warriors in1975 (led byRick Barry). The Lakers armed with new-signingKareem Abdul-Jabbar began to rebuild towards playoff contention.
The Warriors began to experience a strong playoff drought following their loss to the Lakers in the 1976–77 Conference Semifinals. They would fail to make a single postseason appearance for much of the duration of the 1980s. During this time the Lakers had rebuilt into a dynasty of their own, popularly known as theShowtime Lakers. In 1979, new ownerJerry Buss sought to draft Michigan State prospectMagic Johnson, in addition to building a postseason juggernaut around such players as Abdul-Jabbar,James Worthy,Kurt Rambis, andA.C. Green. Near the middle of the decade, the Warriors began a rebuild of their own, dubbed theRun TMC team after teammates:Tim Hardaway,Mitch Richmond andChris Mullin. The Warriors also lured famed coachGeorge Karl in 1986, also setting them up as strong playoff contenders. Both teams famously met during the1987 NBA Playoffs. Though the Lakers were heavily favored to crush the Warriors in a sweep, the Warriors still held on by an average margin of 12 points per loss, though the Lakers still won the series handily in a 4–1 victory. Game 4 is still shown on TV in theNBA's Greatest Games series, remembered as an instant classic.[19] The second-half performance by the Warriors' All-Star point guardSleepy Floyd still stands as the NBA playoff record for points scored in a quarter (29) and in a half (39).
With the conclusion of the 1991 NBA Finals, the Lakers' dynasty had begun to fade away as the notoriousMichael Jordan-ledChicago Bulls teams regularly toppled opponents in the postseason. The Warriors still managed to emerge as a contender, particularly during the early 1990s after acquiring future all-starsChris Webber andLatrell Sprewell through the draft. The Lakers sought to rebuild during the latter half of the decade by making several high-profile acquisitions, such as signing legendary centerShaquille O'Neal in 1996 and acquiring the draft rights to future hall-of-famerKobe Bryant the same year. The Warriors' attempts to stay competitive soon collapsed as they frequently rotated coaches. Following the 1993–94 season; the Warriors found themselves swept by theCharles Barkley-ledPhoenix Suns. The Warriors would find themselves unable to post a winning season until 2006. The Lakers managed to re-emerge as playoff contenders during the latter half of the decade, but often fell toDavid Robinson and theSan Antonio Spurs in the postseason. However, following the 1998–99 season, the Lakers fired head coachDel Harris and replaced him withPhil Jackson, who coached the Bulls throughout much of the 1990s and guided them to 6 championships in the decade.
Led by Jackson, the Lakers quickly emerged into the new millennium as a playoff juggernaut. Armed with such players as Bryant, Shaq,Rick Fox,Derek Fisher,Ron Harper, andRobert Horry; they managed to win three straight championships from 2000 to 2002. The Warriors meanwhile had found themselves scraping the floor at the bottom of the league, however; they would reemerge into postseason contention around 2006 with the acquisitions of such players asStephen Jackson,Matt Barnes, andBaron Davis. The Lakers would run into multiple issues, derailing their dynasty as the feud between Bryant and O'Neal had begun to briefly disassemble the team near the latter half of the decade. Despite this; the Lakers re armed themselves with new centerPau Gasol and forwardLamar Odom. The Lakers re emerged as title contenders, making three straight appearances in the finals from 2008 to 2010, winning two more championships in the process. The Warriors had begun to seek a deep rebuild of the franchise during the 2009 draft, in takingDavidson point guardStephen Curry seventh overall.
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The Lakers remained a sturdy contender headed into the 2010s, but signs of decline were growing further evident as Kobe Bryant began fighting injury on a regular basis. The Warriors were still rebuilding as they would also draft future All-StarKlay Thompson out of Washington State during the2011 NBA draft, the following season; they would also draft future All-Star power forwardDraymond Green the following season. Rather quickly as the Lakers decline began, the Warriors emerged as a title contender, making regular appearances in the postseason, and managing to truly emerge as champions once again during the2015 NBA Finals. The 2013 signing of small forwardAndre Iguodala would also reinforce a potent offense, propelling the Warriors to five straight finals appearances, winning three. During the 2016 season, Bryant announced his retirement; publicly highlighting the Lakers decline as they would fail to make the postseason from 2014 to 2019. On January 14, Kobe played his final game in Oakland but the Warriors won 118–96. Another notable game was on March 6 where the Lakers upset the Warriors in a 112–95 win. It would be Kobe Bryant's last game against the Warriors. On November 4, Stephen Curry shot 0-10 from three, causing his streak of 157 games with a three to end in a 117–97 loss. In a widely publicized move during the 2018 offseason; the Lakers signed legendary starLeBron James, and ended up trading for all-star Power Forward/CenterAnthony Davis the following season.[21] In the 2018–19 season, the Warriors and Lakers had big moments against each other. On MLK Day, Klay Thompson dropped 44 points in a 130–111 blowout win. On February 2, the Warriors beat the Lakers 115–101. On April 8, the Warriors beat the Lakers 108–90. Once again the Lakers emerged as a title contender, winning the COVID-19 shortened2020 NBA Finals. The Warriors were all too familiar with James as they had faced off in four straight finals against him whilst he was still on theCleveland Cavaliers, though the 2019–20 season saw the Warriors battle injury that ended up costing them a postseason appearance for another two seasons.[22][23]
During the first two years of the decade, both teams struggled with various issues. The Lakers had also begun to fight several high-profile injuries in addition to multiple poor free agent signings. Both teams met in the 2021 Play-In Tournament. Despite Stephen Curry dropping 37 points, the Lakers defeated the Warriors 103–100. In 2022, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, and Carmelo Anthony were named to theNBA 75th Anniversary Team. However, the Lakers were eliminated from playoffs/play-in contention while the Warriors defeated theBoston Celtics in six games to capture their 7th title. The Warriors managed to regain their competitiveness to start the 2022–23 season, while the Lakers managed to scrape together a winning record, entering the postseason as the seventh seed.[24] Both teams met during the second round of the playoffs, with the Lakers winning the series in six games.[25][26][27][28] In the 2023–24 season, the two teams met to end NBA Rivals Week. Despite Stephen Curry dropping 46 points, the Lakers beat the Warriors 145–144 in a double overtime thriller on LeBron James' game winning free throws. However, the Warriors won the next three meetings. Both teams met again on Christmas Day on December 25th, 2024. Curry dropped, at the time, a season-high 38 points, howeverAustin Reaves made a clutch layup at the end to give the Lakers the lead and win the game.
| Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers vs. Philadelphia/San Francisco/Golden State Warriors Season-by-Season Results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1940s (Lakers 8–3)
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1950s (Lakers, 43–37)
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1960s (Lakers, 60–47)
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1970s (Lakers, 41–28)
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1980s (Lakers, 46–17)
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1990s (Lakers, 31–18)
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2000s (Lakers, 32–8)
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2010s (Warriors, 21–18)
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2020s (Lakers, 15–12)
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Summary of Results
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