The NBA on Tuesday, August 12, released a larger portion of its 2025-26 regular-season schedule, confirming nationally televised matchups for opening week, Christmas Day and Martin Luther King Day. The full schedule is set to follow on Thursday.
Opening Night – Tuesday, October 21 (NBC/Peacock)
• Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder, 7:30 p.m. ET – Kevin Durant debuts for Houston as the Thunder receive their championship rings.
• Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers, 10:00 p.m. ET – Stephen Curry meets LeBron James as James begins a record 23rd season.
Wednesday, October 22 (ESPN)
• Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks, 7:00 p.m. ET – The two clubs widely projected as the East’s top seeds open ESPN’s first doubleheader.
• San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks, 9:30 p.m. ET – No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg faces No. 2 pick Dylan Harper, only the second time since 1966 that the top two draft selections meet in their first NBA game (previously in 2015).
Thursday, October 23 (ESPN)
• Oklahoma City Thunder at Indiana Pacers, 7:30 p.m. ET – A rematch of last season’s NBA Finals.
• Denver Nuggets at Golden State Warriors, 10:00 p.m. ET – Three-time MVP Nikola Jokić goes up against two-time MVP Curry.
Monday, October 27 (Peacock)
• Cleveland Cavaliers at Detroit Pistons, 7:00 p.m. ET.
• Denver Nuggets at Minnesota Timberwolves, 9:30 p.m. ET – Peacock will carry up to three Monday games each week throughout the season.
Christmas Day – Thursday, December 25 (ABC/ESPN)
• Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks, 12:00 p.m. ET.
• San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder, 2:30 p.m. ET.
• Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors, 5:00 p.m. ET.
• Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers, 8:00 p.m. ET.
• Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets, 10:30 p.m. ET.
Martin Luther King Day – Monday, January 19
• Milwaukee Bucks at Atlanta Hawks, 1:00 p.m. ET (Peacock).
• Oklahoma City Thunder at Cleveland Cavaliers, 2:30 p.m. ET (NBC).
• Dallas Mavericks at New York Knicks, 5:00 p.m. ET (NBC).
• Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons, 8:00 p.m. ET (NBC).
Fifteen of the league’s 30 teams appear in the announced national windows. Among the notable omissions are the Clippers, Grizzlies, Suns and Pelicans in the West, along with the 76ers, Heat, Magic and Bulls in the East.
Source: Hoops Rumors
