Opening Night on NBC & Peacock (Oct. 21):
Rockets at Thunder (7:30 p.m. ET): The 2024-25 season saw Oklahoma City set the record for regular-season point differential (+12.9), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander win Kia NBA MVP and, ultimately, hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy. To open 2025-26, OKC will collect more hardware as it will receive championship rings and raise its title banner before tipping off the new season.
Waiting on the other side will be Kevin Durant and the new-look Rockets. Houston ended a four-year playoff drought last season by finishing right behind OKC as the No. 2 seed … and then traded for one of the league’s all-time great scorers this summer to take the next step. Can Gilgeous-Alexander and the champs pick up where they left off, or will Durant and the Rockets make an Opening Night statement?
Warriors at Lakers (10 p.m. ET): To tip off an NBA record 23rd season for No. 23, LeBron James will face Stephen Curry, marking the latest chapter in a legendary rivalry that’s produced four NBA Finals matchups and countless regular-season classics.
That includes last year, which saw an epic Christmas Day finish before James (37.5 points per game) and Curry (37 ppg) combined for 74.5 ppg in their last two matchups as Los Angeles won the season series, 3-1.
Adding to the intrigue? Both teams enter 2025-26 with last year’s midseason additions fully integrated. Luka Dončić looks to take the Lakers over the top, while Jimmy Butler III brings his two-way intensity to the Bay.
Christmas 2025 on ABC & ESPN:
Cavaliers at Knicks (Noon ET): Where else to begin Christmas Day but at the World’s most famous arena? Five 2025 All-Stars headline this matchup of East powers as Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns lead the Knicks against Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and the Cavs as both teams eye a championship run.
New York made the deeper playoff run last spring, but still couldn’t solve Cleveland in the regular season, going 0-4 against the East’s top seed. The Knicks get two early chances to flip the script on the national stage, first in both teams’ season-opener on Oct. 22 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) and again under the holiday spotlight.
Spurs at Thunder (2:30 p.m. ET): Fresh off an NBA title, the Thunder are back playing on Christmas for the first time since 2018. Their matchup? Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and the rising Spurs.
In his Christmas debut last year, Wembanyama put on a show by breaking the Spurs’ Christmas scoring record with 42 points (he also had 18 rebounds and four blocks). Fox, an eight-year veteran and 2023 All-Star, will be seeing his first Dec. 25 action. What will he and Wembanyama have in store against Gilgeous-Alexander and the defending champs?
Mavericks at Warriors (5 p.m. ET): Klay Thompson’s first return to the Bay last November produced an instant classic, with him and Curry combining for 11 3-pointers. One month later, the two teams faced off again, combining for an NBA-record 48 triples.
This year, Thompson heads back to Golden State for a holiday homecoming, leading a new-look Mavs squad alongside rookie Cooper Flagg and veteran Anthony Davis. Will we see more fireworks?
Rockets at Lakers (8 p.m. ET): Only two active players rank in the top 10 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list: LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Fans get a Christmas treat as the two legends face off in primetime in their 44th career matchup.
James, the all-time scoring leader, is 19-10 in the regular-season record against Durant (but Durant is 9-5 in their postseason matchups). Adding to the intrigue, Dončić is slated to make his Lakers Christmas debut, with rising Rockets star Amen Thompson potentially tasked with guarding him.
Timberwolves at Nuggets (10:30 p.m. ET): One is a highlight waiting to happen. The other is an offensive tactician. To close out Christmas Day, they’ll meet, as Anthony Edwards’ Wolves visit Nikola Jokić’s Nuggets.
Edwards and Jokić offer contrasting yet highly effective styles. However, Minnesota has held the upper hand in this budding rivalry, winning the teams’ 2024 Western Conference semifinals matchup in seven games before sweeping last year’s regular-season series. Can the Nuggets turn the tide, or will the Wolves continue their recent dominance?
NBA on MLK Day on NBC & Peacock (Jan. 19)
Bucks at Hawks (1 p.m. ET, Peacock): Milwaukee and Atlanta met five times last season, including in the 2024 NBA Emirates Cup semifinals, which saw the Bucks advance en route to winning the Cup. Now, both teams have retooled around their stars in hopes of making a playoff push.
Giannis Antetokounmpo leads a revamped Milwaukee roster, which added Myles Turner in the offseason and parted ways with Damian Lillard. Atlanta has surrounded Trae Young with three key additions (Kristaps Porziņģis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard) and MLK Day will mark the first meeting of the two East contenders this season, giving fans a glimpse into how each team’s offseason moves have fared.
Thunder at Cavaliers (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock): Last season’s top regular-season teams meet for the first time. They split two of the most anticipated matchups of 2024-25, with Cleveland winning a 129-122 thriller on Jan. 8 before OKC responded emphatically eight days later.
Fast forward 12 months and the two heavyweights — still loaded with star power — face off again, offering a first look at how this version of last season’s top seeds stack up.
Mavericks at Knicks (5 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock): The last time Flagg took the floor at Madison Square Garden was in February, when he posted 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists to lead Duke past Illinois, 110-67.
Now comes his NBA debut at the MSG and a far tougher blue-and-orange clad test in the New York Knicks, who can send three high-level wings at him (Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and OG Anunoby). Flagg won’t be the only No. 1 pick in action either, as former Kentucky bigs Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns battle inside.
Celtics at Pistons (8 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock): Detroit didn’t just double its win total from 2023-24 last season — it tripled it. A playoff team in 2024-25, the Pistons will host the Celtics in primetime to close out MLK Day.
It’s an Eastern Conference clash between a perennial contender and a potential rising power … and both teams will look different this season. Can the Celtics stay atop the East with Jayson Tatum (Achilles) sidelined? And will Detroit maintain its momentum with the additions of Duncan Robinson and Caris LeVert?