Opening Night Slate: Thunder Host Rockets, Lakers Welcome Warriors
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The 2025-26 NBA season will begin on Oct. 21 with a primetime double bill: the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder will face the Houston Rockets, while the Los Angeles Lakers meet the Golden State Warriors. Both games will air on NBC.
Early National TV Lineup
ESPN follows with back-to-back doubleheaders:
- Oct. 22 – Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks (7 p.m. ET); Dallas Mavericks, led by rookie Cooper Flagg, host the San Antonio Spurs (9:30 p.m. ET).
- Oct. 23 – Thunder at Indiana Pacers in a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals (7:30 p.m. ET); Denver Nuggets at Warriors (10 p.m. ET).
Christmas Day Five-Game Schedule
- Cavaliers at Knicks – Noon ET
- Spurs at Thunder – 2:30 p.m. ET
- Rockets at Lakers – 5 p.m. ET
- Mavericks at Warriors – 8 p.m. ET
- Minnesota Timberwolves at Nuggets – 10:30 p.m. ET
The Knicks extend their league record with a 58th Christmas appearance, dating back to the NBA’s first holiday game at Madison Square Garden in 1947. Cleveland and Oklahoma City return to the Christmas schedule for the first time since 2018, while Houston ends a six-year holiday absence.
If he plays, Lakers star LeBron James would log his 20th Christmas game in what will be his 23rd NBA season, matching or surpassing the total holiday appearances of 12 NBA franchises.
All three Texas clubs—Mavericks, Rockets and Spurs—will appear on Christmas Day together for the first time.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day – Jan. 19
- Milwaukee Bucks at Atlanta Hawks
- Thunder at Cavaliers
- Mavericks at Knicks
- Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons
Memphis, traditionally featured on the holiday, is absent this season. The Grizzlies will return from Europe after facing the Orlando Magic in Berlin on Jan. 15 and in London on Jan. 18.
Schedule Notes
Some NBA Cup games are expected to be announced Wednesday. The league will release 80 of each team’s 82 regular-season matchups on Thursday, with the final two games added in December based on NBA Cup results.
Source: ESPN
