NBA releases 2025-26 schedule: season tips Oct. 21, Christmas Day features five games
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The NBA unveiled its complete 2025-26 calendar on Thursday, outlining key dates, holiday showcases and a host of star-studded matchups that will shape the league’s 80th regular season.
Opening night
The new campaign begins Oct. 21 with two nationally televised contests. The reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder will raise their first banner when they host Kevin Durant and the retooled Houston Rockets at 7:30 p.m. ET. The nightcap sends LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors at 10 p.m. ET. Both games air on NBC and Peacock.
Training camp and preseason
Five clubs—Brooklyn, New York, Philadelphia, New Orleans and Phoenix—open camp Sept. 24 to prepare for overseas exhibitions in Abu Dhabi, Melbourne and China. All other teams report Sept. 29.
In-season tournament
The third Emirates NBA Cup begins Oct. 31 with group play and concludes with the championship game on Dec. 16 in Las Vegas. Group play wraps Nov. 28, followed by knockout rounds Dec. 9-10 and semifinals Dec. 13.
Christmas Day lineup
Five holiday games highlight Dec. 25:
- Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks, 12 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC)
- San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder, 2:30 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC)
- Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors, 5 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC)
- Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC)
- Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets, 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC)
All-Star Weekend
All-Star festivities move to Intuit Dome, home of the LA Clippers, with the 75th NBA All-Star Game scheduled for Feb. 15, 2026.
Headline reunions and rivalry games
- Houston at Phoenix, Nov. 24: Durant faces the Suns for the first time since this summer’s trade.
- Milwaukee at Indiana, Nov. 3: Newly signed center Myles Turner visits the Pacers after the Bucks waived and stretched Damian Lillard to create cap room.
- Atlanta at Boston, Jan. 17: Kristaps Porziņģis returns to TD Garden following his offseason move to the Hawks.
- Atlanta at New York, Oct. 25: Trae Young renews his villain role at Madison Square Garden.
Playoff rematches
- Thunder at Pacers, Oct. 23 (NBA Finals): First meeting since Oklahoma City’s Game 7 victory and Tyrese Haliburton’s season-ending Achilles injury.
- Timberwolves at Thunder, Nov. 26 (West finals): Anthony Edwards squares off with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after last spring’s gentleman’s sweep.
- Celtics at Knicks, Oct. 24 (East semifinals): Boston returns to the Garden months after Jayson Tatum’s torn Achilles shifted the series—and the franchise’s direction.
Rookie and superstar showdowns
- Mavericks at Spurs, Oct. 22: No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg debuts opposite No. 2 pick Dylan Harper and a healthy Victor Wembanyama.
- Lakers at Mavericks, Nov. 28: Flagg sees his first action against former Dallas cornerstone Luka Doncic; Anthony Davis makes his initial return to Crypto.com Arena since being dealt.
- Thunder at Spurs, Dec. 23: Chet Holmgren and Wembanyama clash in their third pro meeting.
- Jazz at Spurs, Dec. 27: Ex-Rutgers teammates Ace Bailey and Harper meet as pros for the first time.
- Thunder at Nuggets, Feb. 1: The past two MVPs, Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić, headline a late-season measuring-stick game.
Complete team schedules
The league has posted individual schedules for all 30 clubs across its six divisions, available on NBA.com.
The 2025-26 season is set to feature marquee debuts, long-awaited returns and critical tests for every contender as the NBA approaches its 80th anniversary.
Source: ESPN
