The 2025-26 NBA season tips off October 21 with the champion Oklahoma City Thunder hosting Kevin Durant’s Houston Rockets on ring night. The Lakers-Warriors clash headlines opening night, while Christmas Day brings a five-game slate including Durant vs. LeBron in Los Angeles.
The 2025-26 NBAseason tips off October 21with thechampion Oklahoma City Thunder hosting Kevin Durant’s Houston Rockets onring night. TheLakers-Warriors clash headlines opening night,while Christmas Day brings afive-game slate including Durant vs.LeBron inLos Angeles.
The 2025-26 NBAseason will open with acelebration inOklahoma City. OnTuesday,October 21, thedefending champion Thunder will receive their championship rings before facing theHouston Rockets in thefirst game of theregular season.
The game will be nationally televised on NBC, marking the network’s first NBA broadcast since 2003. The matchup also reunites Thunder fans with former franchise cornerstone Kevin Durant, who spent eight seasons in Oklahoma City, won MVP honors in 2013-14, and now headlines a reloaded Rockets roster.
Opening night will feature a second marquee matchup in Los Angeles, as Luka Dončić and LeBron James lead the Lakers against Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors. The duel between two modern dynasties promises to set an electric tone for the season.
Opening Night Games
Thunder vs. Rockets
Lakers vs. Warriors
The NBA will keep tradition alive on Christmas Day with a loaded five-game schedule that blends superstar rivalries with playoff-caliber showdowns.
Christmas Day Games
Knicks vs. Cavaliers
Thunder vs. Spurs
Lakers vs. Rockets
Warriorsvs.Mavericks
Nuggetsvs.Timberwolves
TheRockets’holiday visit to Los Angeles will feature another chapter in theDurant-LeBron rivalry,one of thedefining individual battles oftheir generation.It will also mark Houston’s first Christmas Day appearance since 2019 andfirst opening night since 2017—both previously against Golden State.
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