NBA: Stephen Curry, LeBron James Miss Final Regular-Season Matchup as Warriors Rest Star Guard
On April 9, 2026, the Golden State Warriors ruled out Stephen Curry for their final regular-season game against the Los Angeles Lakers, ensuring there would be zero matchups between the two-time MVP and four-time NBA champion LeBron James during the 2025-26 campaign. The decision, announced by the Warriors’ medical staff led by Rick Celebrini, prioritized managing Curry’s persistent right knee issue over forcing his appearance in the back-to-back set.
The Warriors, locked into the 10th seed in the Western Conference, needed to win two road play-in games to advance to the playoffs as the eighth seed. Rather than risk aggravating Curry’s knee in the home finale against the Lakers, the organization opted to hold him out for the Thursday night contest at Chase Center, with plans for him to play the following night in Sacramento against the Kings.
LeBron James, in his league-record 23rd NBA season, had missed the season-opening matchup between the teams due to sciatica. This marked the first time since their rivalry began that Curry and James failed to meet even once during a regular season, despite having faced each other 27 times in previous regular seasons and 28 times in playoff history.
Curry returned to action on April 6, 2026, after a 27-game absence, coming off the bench in his first two games back to manage his workload. He scored a combined 43 points in those appearances before being held out for the Lakers game. The Warriors hoped to increase his usage over 30 minutes per game during the weekend to prepare for their Wednesday play-in elimination game.
The Lakers, entering the game without injured stars Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, stood at 50-29 and were tied with the Houston Rockets for the fourth seed in the Western Conference with three games remaining. Los Angeles secured a 119-103 victory over Golden State in the absence of both Curry and James’ full availability.
James revealed after the game that he and Curry had discussed the situation and only realized they had not played against each other all season on the day of the contest. The absence of their head-to-head matchup was described by observers as a loss for the NBA, given the historical significance of their rivalry and uncertainty about future opportunities for them to compete against each other.
As the NBA regular season concluded, the Warriors focused on their play-in tournament aspirations while the Lakers prepared for the postseason. The 2025-26 season marked the end of an era for one of the league’s most iconic rivalries, with no further regular-season meetings scheduled between the two franchises’ cornerstone players.
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