The 2025-26 NBA season starts tomorrow. The Oklahoma City Thunder will kick off the season looking to defend their title with a matchup against the bolstered Houston Rockets, fresh off adding and extending superstar forward Kevin Durant.
That contest could certainly end up as one of the best games of the season, but it’s not the only awesome matchup we have to look forward to in the first week of the year. Between showdowns featuring Eastern Conference powerhouses, rematches from last year’s playoffs and interstate clashes between two squads expected to leap forward, the first week of the season offers a salivating appetizer to the remainder of the regular season.
Here are the five best matchups of the NBA’s opening week:
Best games to start 2025-26 NBA season
5) Denver Nuggets at Golden State Warriors, Thursday, Oct. 23 at 10 p.m. ET
Last year, the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets both lost in the Western Conference semifinals, meaning in some alternate universe, this was the matchup we got to see who represented the West in the Finals.
Unfortunately, a few bad bounces kept the Nuggets out of the Finals, losing Game 7 to the eventual champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. On the other side, the Warriors were without Steph Curry for their series against Minnesota, which could’ve absolutely turned the tide in that series. Given how well the Warriors played last year after acquiring Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat, there’s a reasonable chance that that this could be a preview of this year’s Western Conference Finals matchup.
4) San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks, Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 9:30 p.m. ET
The San Antonio Spurs weren’t expected to make waves in the league last year, but any chance they might have had to do so was dashed when Victor Wembanyama was forced to miss a chunk of the season while suffering from deep vein thrombosis. Now, the most dominant defensive force in the league has returned and looks to lead the Spurs to a playoff appearance, accompanied by a myriad of young talent.
However, their first game of the year won’t be easy. After Nico Harrison and the Dallas Mavericks shocked the world by trading Luka Doncic away to the Los Angeles Lakers, the team has completed the quickest rebuild in league history after earning the first overall pick and landing Cooper Flagg.
This new era of Mavericks basketball will kick off with a riveting matchup between interstate rivals, and perhaps the outcome of this game will dictate how the season will go for both of these squads.
3) Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder, Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET
This will be the game that kicks off the regular season, and boy what a game it is. Not only were these the two highest seeds in the Western Conference last season, but the Rockets have overhauled their team to push for a championship.
This offseason the team went all-in, trading for superstar forward Kevin Durant. Will that be enough to overcome the defending champions and odds-on favorites heading into the season though? Emotions will be high as Oklahoma City will hang their championship banner. Perhaps Houston can take advantage.
2) Oklahoma City Thunder at Indiana Pacers, Thursday, Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m. ET
What’s better than a showdown between the two top seeds in a conference last year? How about a showdown between the two teams that competed for a championship? The Pacers took the Thunder to seven games last year, and although they lost Tyrese Haliburton for the season, the Pacers will certainly have vengeance on their minds.
1) Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks, Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. ET
With Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum out for the season, the Cavaliers and Knicks head into the season as two of the heavy favorites in the Eastern Conference (along with the Milwaukee Bucks). These two teams were two of the top-three seeds in the East last year and could very well end up being in the same boat this season, barring big steps forward from teams like the Orlando Magic or Detroit Pistons.