The Phoenix Suns won't play the Los Angeles Lakers this preseason after doing so the past three years at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California, but the rivals could resume their preseason matchup there in 2027.
“This year, it was a scheduling issue just based on Lakers’ preseason commitments,” said John Page, senior vice president of Acrisure Arena, Coachella Valley Firebirds and Coachella Valley Lakers.
The Lakers announced their five-game preseason schedule earlier this month.
– Oct. 5 at Sacramento Kings
– Oct. 6 at Golden State Warriors
– Oct. 8 vs. Sacramento Kings
– Oct. 13 vs. Golden State Warriors (at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas)
– Oct. 16 vs. Denver Nuggets
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“Just looking at their schedule and what games they either had to play at home or committed to play on the road,” Page continued. “It was more logistics than anything. It's more of a product of just their availability with the number of preseason games they're committed to.”
Page is certain the Lakers will be back in 2027, but he doesn’t know if the Lakers will elect to play the Suns there.
“That’s really up to the teams to figure out who they’re playing,” Page said.
Phoenix won all three matchups in the 11,000-seat arena, mostly filled with Lakers fans.
Phoenix Suns guard Collin Gillespie grabs a rebound in front of Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes during the first half at Acrisure Arena on Oct. 3, 2025, in Palm Desert, California.
The Lakers are the clear draw.
They have a strong fan base in the Palm Springs area, and Los Angeles is just two hours away.
The Lakers played the Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves in Palm Desert as part of a six-game preseason in 2024.
However, Page isn’t against the idea of the Suns playing a preseason game in Palm Desert against a team outside of the Lakers.
“We could certainly look at it,” Page said. “We're not opposed to that. Just the Lakers’ proximity, being we're two hours from L.A. There's just so many people that are Lakers fans. It made the most sense.”
Phoenix is just a 3½-hour drive to Palm Springs. The franchise also has a preseason history there before its recent contests against the Lakers.
The Suns played preseason games three straight years (2008-10) at Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The outdoor facility was transformed into a basketball oasis that crammed in 16,000 fans for the 2008 game between the Suns and Nuggets.
The next year, Phoenix played the Warriors, who had this skinny rookie named Stephen Curry, now a four-time NBA champion and recognized as the greatest shooter ever.
The Suns closed out that three-year run against the Dallas Mavericks as the home team.
Phoenix has a preseason game this year Oct. 7 at the Chicago Bulls and two against San Antonio on Oct. 10 in Phoenix and Oct. 14 in San Antonio.
The Suns have yet to announce their preseason schedule.
They played their first preseason game last year on Oct. 3.
A Detroit Pistons-Suns matchup this year in Michigan would be ideal before the Bulls game. Suns team owner Mat Ishbia is a Michigan State graduate who was a walk-on on the Spartans' 2000 national championship team.
