TITLE: Experts Lean Toward Thunder as 2025-26 NBA Season Begins
SLUG: experts-pick-thunder-as-favorites-to-open-2025-26-nba-season
CONTENT:
The 2025-26 NBA campaign tips off Tuesday, Oct. 21, with the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder hosting Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets at 7:30 p.m. ET on Peacock. Oklahoma City returns after re-signing reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, All-Star Jalen Williams and center Chet Holmgren to contracts totaling nearly $800 million.
Opening night in the Western Conference also features Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, now beginning their first full season with Jimmy Butler, facing Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers at 10 p.m. ET.
In the injury-hit East, the Cleveland Cavaliers—coming off 64 wins and last year’s No. 1 seed—visit a New York Knicks team carrying Finals-or-bust expectations Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. The night’s late game matches Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs against a retooled Dallas Mavericks squad led by top pick Cooper Flagg and Anthony Davis.
Panel favors New York in the East
Fourteen ESPN NBA analysts split on the Eastern Conference, with the Knicks drawing eight votes to the Cavaliers’ six for a berth in the 2026 Finals.
Thunder headline Western outlook
Oklahoma City received nine of 14 votes to repeat as West champions. The Denver Nuggets picked up three votes, while the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets garnered one apiece.
Championship predictions
The same panel placed the Thunder atop the title race, giving them nine selections. The Nuggets earned two, and the Cavaliers, Mavericks and Rockets received one vote each.
MVP forecast
Nikola Jokic is the early favorite for the 2025-26 Most Valuable Player Award with six votes. Gilgeous-Alexander followed with four, Doncic with two, and Jalen Brunson and Anthony Edwards collected one vote each.
The season’s first week will begin to test those projections as teams embark on the 82-game schedule.
Source: ESPN
