The NBA released a portion of its 2025-26 regular-season schedule on Tuesday, detailing Opening Night, the first week, the Christmas lineup and the Martin Luther King Jr. Day bill. Fifteen of the league’s 30 clubs will appear in these nationally televised windows.
Opening Night – Tuesday, Oct. 21
Rockets at Thunder, 7:30 p.m. ET – NBC and Peacock begin their new NBA coverage as Kevin Durant debuts for Houston against his former team, which will receive its championship rings.
Warriors at Lakers, 10 p.m. ET – Stephen Curry and Golden State face LeBron James, who starts his record 23rd NBA season.
Wednesday, Oct. 22
Cavaliers at Knicks, 7 p.m. ET
Spurs at Mavericks, 9:30 p.m. ET
ESPN’s first doubleheader matches projected top Eastern Conference seeds and showcases No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg against No. 2 pick Dylan Harper. According to the league, it is only the second time since 1966 that the top two draft selections meet in their regular-season debuts; the previous occasion occurred in 2015 with Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell.
Thursday, Oct. 23
Thunder at Pacers, 7:30 p.m. ET
Nuggets at Warriors, 10 p.m. ET
ESPN airs a Finals rematch followed by Nikola Jokić and Denver against Curry’s Warriors.
Monday, Oct. 27
Cavaliers at Pistons, 7 p.m. ET
Nuggets at Timberwolves, 9:30 p.m. ET
Peacock launches its season-long Monday night coverage with a Central Division meeting and a Northwest showdown.
Christmas Day – Thursday, Dec. 25
Cavaliers at Knicks, 12 p.m. ET
Spurs at Thunder, 2:30 p.m. ET
Mavericks at Warriors, 5 p.m. ET
Rockets at Lakers, 8 p.m. ET
Timberwolves at Nuggets, 10:30 p.m. ET
ABC and ESPN handle the annual holiday quintuple-header, which features eight Western Conference teams and two Eastern Conference clubs.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day – Monday, Jan. 19
Bucks at Hawks, 1 p.m. ET – streamed on Peacock
Thunder at Cavaliers, 2:30 p.m. ET
Mavericks at Knicks, 5 p.m. ET
Celtics at Pistons, 8 p.m. ET
NBC broadcasts the final three contests. Six of the eight participants are from the East.
Teams not yet slated for national TV in these announcements include the Clippers, Grizzlies, Suns and Pelicans from the West, and the 76ers, Heat, Magic and Bulls from the East.
NBC is also set to introduce “Sunday Night Basketball” on Feb. 1, expanding its new package of NBA coverage.
Source: Hoops Wire
