The Phoenix Suns will play the Los Angeles Lakers twice this preseason, with the latter game scheduled for Oct. 17 at PHX Arena, league sources informed The Arizona Republic.

The Suns face the Lakers in the Palm Springs, California, area on Oct. 3. Phoenix has played Los Angeles at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California, the past two seasons.

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It’s a home game for the Lakers. The Suns and Lakers played twice last preseason as well, with the second game in Phoenix.

The Oct. 17 Suns-Lakers preseason matchup will be the first time Deandre Ayton is scheduled to play in Phoenix wearing a Lakers uniform. The Portland Trail Blazers bought out Ayton, who then signed a two-year deal for $16.2 million with the Lakers.

Phoenix traded Ayton before training camp of the 2023-24 season in a three-team deal that sent Damian Lillard from Portland to Milwaukee and Jusuf Nurkic from Portland to Phoenix.

The Suns play the Brooklyn Nets twice in the 2025 preseason Oct. 10 and 12 in the Global Games in China.

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The Suns have played the Detroit Pistons in each of the past two preseasons. In 2023, the Suns and Pistons battled at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, and last season, Phoenix faced Detroit at Michigan State University.

Suns team owner Mat Ishbia is a MSU graduate who was a walk-on on Michigan State’s 2000 national championship team.

The Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets played two preseason games against each other last season in Abu Dhabi. Boston and Denver each played five total preseason games.

The NBA preseason begins with the 2025 Abu Dhabi Games with the New York Knicks facing the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 2 and 4 in Abu Dhabi.

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The New Orleans Pelicans play in Melbourne, Australia, on Oct. 3 and 5 against NBL teams.

Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Suns to meet Deandre Ayton, Lakers twice in preseason