Where to Watch Denver Nuggets vs Lakers: Everything You Need for the 2026 Season

If you’re trying to figure out where to watch Denver Nuggets vs Lakers, you've probably realized that the old ways of just flipping to TNT are dead and gone. The 2025-26 NBA season is a completely different beast. We’re in the first year of the massive 11-year media rights deal, and honestly, it’s a lot to keep track of if you just want to see Nikola Jokic and LeBron James go at it.

The Nuggets and Lakers have developed one of the best rivalries in the Western Conference over the last few years. Whether it's the playoff sweeps or the constant "moral victories" talk, these games are always high-stakes. But catching them live now requires a mix of legacy broadcast channels and a few specific streaming apps.

The Big Matchups: Mark Your Calendar

The schedule for early 2026 is actually pretty packed with these two. If you're looking for the next immediate game, here is the breakdown of the upcoming slate:

• Tuesday, January 20, 2026: The Lakers travel to Ball Arena in Denver. Tip-off is set for 8:00 PM MT (10:00 PM ET). This is a big national TV night.
• Thursday, March 5, 2026: Another battle in the Mile High City. This one starts at 8:00 PM MT.
• Saturday, March 14, 2026: The scene shifts to Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena. Tip-off for the Saturday showcase is 5:30 PM PT (8:30 PM ET).

Where to Watch Denver Nuggets vs Lakers on TV

Because these are two of the NBA’s biggest draws, almost all their meetings are nationally televised.

For the January 20 game, the primary broadcaster is NBC. This is part of the new "Coast 2 Coast Tuesday" package. If you have a standard digital antenna or a basic cable package, you can catch it on your local NBC affiliate.

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The March 14 game is an ABC exclusive. Since that falls on a Saturday later in the season, it’s one of the marquee matchups the league uses to anchor its weekend afternoon/evening slots.

If you are a local fan, things get slightly more specific. In Los Angeles, Spectrum SportsNet still carries the vast majority of Lakers games. In Denver, Altitude Sports is still the home for the Nuggets, though they’ve also started simulcasting some games on KTVD (MyNetworkTV) to help with the long-standing carriage disputes that have plagued the region.

Best Streaming Options for Cord-Cutters

If you’ve ditched cable, you actually have more options now than you did two years ago. The new deal brought Peacock and Amazon Prime Video into the fold as major players.

Peacock

Since NBC is now a lead partner, Peacock is essential. For the game on January 20, you can stream it live on Peacock regardless of where you live. They also have "Peacock Performance View," which gives you real-time analytics and player tracking if you’re into the deeper stats while watching the Joker work the high post.

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Amazon Prime Video

Amazon has the rights to Thursday and Friday night games for the 2025-26 season. For the March 5 matchup (which falls on a Thursday), Amazon Prime Video is the place to be. It’s the exclusive national home for that specific game, meaning you won’t find it on ESPN or TNT.

YouTube TV and Fubo

For a "one-size-fits-all" approach, these are still the heavy hitters.

• YouTube TV: Includes ABC, NBC, and ESPN. It’s basically the most reliable way to ensure you don't miss any national broadcasts.
• Fubo: Great for local fans because it carries Altitude Sports for the Denver market and Spectrum SportsNet for the LA market. It’s one of the few ways to get those regional sports networks (RSNs) without a traditional cable box.

What About NBA League Pass?

League Pass is great, but there is a massive catch: blackouts.

If you live in Denver or Los Angeles, you cannot watch the Nuggets vs Lakers game on League Pass. It will be "blacked out" because the local RSN or the national broadcaster (like NBC or ABC) has exclusive rights in your area.

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However, if you live in, say, Chicago or New York, League Pass is a perfect way to watch the Altitude or Spectrum feeds. A cool update for 2026: Amazon Prime Video is now the primary distributor for League Pass. You can actually buy it as an "add-on" channel inside the Prime app, which keeps everything in one place.

Why This Matchup Still Matters

People keep waiting for the Lakers to fade, but as long as LeBron and Anthony Davis are healthy, they are a problem. On the flip side, Denver is the gold standard of team building. Watching Aaron Gordon defend LeBron while Jokic tries to out-finesse AD is high-level chess.

The 2026 season has seen the Nuggets leaning more on their bench youth, while the Lakers have tried to maintain a fast-paced, transition-heavy offense under their current coaching staff. These January and March games usually determine who gets that crucial top-4 seed to avoid the Play-In tournament.

Final Viewing Checklist

Basically, if you want to be 100% sure you can watch every minute of Nuggets vs Lakers, here is your move:

1. Check the day of the week. Tuesdays go to NBC/Peacock. Thursdays go to Amazon. Sundays/Saturdays go to ABC.
2. Use a digital antenna. It’s the cheapest way to get NBC and ABC for free.
3. Get Peacock. It’s the cheapest streaming entry point for the Tuesday night games.
4. Watch the local listings. If you're in Denver, keep an eye on KTVD for those free over-the-air simulcasts.

Check your local listings about two hours before tip-off, as the NBA frequently moves start times by 15-30 minutes to accommodate doubleheaders on NBC. To get ready for the next tip-off, make sure your Peacock or Amazon Prime login is active and updated before the 8:00 PM MT start.