The opening night of the NBA 2025-26 season is set to start with two blockbuster games.
It has been reported by ESPN's Shams Charania that the season will tip off with the Houston Rockets at the Oklahoma City Thunder, and then the Golden State Warriors at the Los Angeles Lakers.
The games will be played on October 21 in the US, which is October 22 for Australian fans.
🚨🚨🚨Opening Night of the 2025-26 NBA season on NBC on Oct. 21, per sources:
- Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder
- Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 8, 2025
The Oklahoma City Thunder will raise their banner to the rafters and receive their championship rings on opening night. As expected, the NBA will add some drama with former Thunder MVP Kevin Durant watching as he prepares to play his first game for the Rockets.
Legends Stephen Curry and LeBron James will face off once again, with the Warriors playing the Lakers. No surprise here, as this fixture is typically one of the most-watched throughout the NBA Season.
Charania has also reported the anticipated Christmas Day games (Boxing Day in Australia), which will be: Cleveland at New York, San Antonio at Oklahoma City, Houston at Los Angeles, Dallas at Golden State and Minnesota at Denver.
🚨🎄 NBA Christmas Day 2025 on ABC and ESPN, per sources:
- Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks
- San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder
- Houston Rockets at LA Lakers
- Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors
- Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 8, 2025
The New York Knicks are playing East rivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are the leading contenders for the Eastern Conference championship this season, and a spot in the NBA Finals.
French star Wembanyama and his Spurs will play the reigning champion OKC Thunder on Christmas Day, in a matchup of two great young teams.
Kevin Durant and the Rockets will head to LA to play against LeBron James and Luka Doncic's Lakers.
Meanwhile, Klay Thompson is set to play against his old team as the Dallas Mavericks face off against the Golden State Warriors and Steph Curry.
Then, young star Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves will head to Denver to take on three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, closing out the Christmas slate.






