With its exciting lineup of must-see games full of high stakes, heartfelt reunions, and emerging rivalries, the 2025–26 NBA schedule has been released.
Here are ten memorable games to keep on your calendar as the regular season draws near, from Kevin Durant’s Oklahoma City homecoming on opening night to a star-studded Christmas Day battle between the Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers.
You must watch this battle on opening night. Durant returns to his birthplace after leaving Oklahoma City as a free agency in 2016 and being traded from the Suns to the Rockets in a historic deal this June. He is going up against a Thunder squad that just won their first-ever NBA championship in an attempt to win his third one. Oklahoma City is the club to beat in the Western Conference going into the 2025–2026 season. At Paycom Center, Durant will take on his old team as they hoist the championship banner, which should motivate him going forward.
This game sells itself, even outside of the Mavs-Spurs rivalry. In a matchup of budding stars, top overall pick Cooper Flagg faces No. 2 pick Dylan Harper and 2023 No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama. Wembanyama returns after playing just 46 games due to a blood clot last season, while Kyrie Irving is still out due to an ACL tear. The Spurs’ explosive youthful core of Wembanyama, Harper, De Aaron Fox, and Stephon Castle will be put to the test by the Mavericks’ redesigned roster, which is headlined by Flagg, Anthony Davis, and Klay Thompson.
Tyrese Haliburton being healthy would make this NBA Finals rematch even more intriguing, but the Pacers star tore his Achilles early in Game 7 and is likely to miss the majority of the season. In any case, this championship grudge match is sure to be intense for both teams. Can the Pacers’ retooled roster compete with Oklahoma City’s explosive championship core without Haliburton and Myles Turner, who in free agency agreed to a four-year, $107 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks?
This list had to include the Nets. FanDuel Sportsbook has a modest 20.5-win total over/under, but if the five rookies in Brooklyn’s historic class perform well, they might draw attention. The Cavaliers, who dominated the Eastern Conference regular season the previous year, will be their first challenge. The Nets will try to win their first game at Barclays Center, where they only won 12 games the previous season, after going 0–4 versus Cleveland in 2024–25.
Durant will be facing his old Suns team in another reunion. The Rockets should have a distinct identity by the 2025–26 season, but Devin Booker’s redesigned Suns might still be getting used to their new team. History demonstrates that Durant steps up to the plate in these circumstances. He scored 20 points in his return to Golden State, 33 points in his comeback to Brooklyn, and 34 points in his return to Oklahoma City.
With a number of Eastern Conference players out due to injury, the Cavaliers and Knicks are ready to contend for championships in the following season, which will make for an exciting matchup on Christmas Day. This all-star game, which stars Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Donovan Mitchell, and Evan Mobley, is sure to be an exciting present for NBA fans worldwide.
Harper will face former teammate Ace Bailey, the fifth overall choice in the 2025 draft, in a game that Rutgers supporters won’t want to miss. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Flagg is the overwhelming favorite to win Rookie of the Year with -190 odds. Ace Bailey is in second place at +850, and Dylan Harper is in fourth place at +1200. Harper and Bailey may find that this game is crucial in the battle for Rookie of the Year, even though it isn’t the most exciting.
After completing a number of big offseason signings, including a trade for former Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis, the Hawks are seen as a club on the rise. After trading Jrue Holiday to Portland and having Jaylen Brown return from arthroscopic surgery for a partially torn right meniscus, Boston will struggle without Jayson Tatum for the most of the 2025–26 campaign. Atlanta may demonstrate their desire for a top seed in the Eastern Conference on January 17 in Boston.
With Cleveland having the NBA’s best offense and Oklahoma City leading the league in defensive efficiency the previous season, the top-seeded Cavaliers and Thunder square off in a matchup of opposing powers. A thrilling 2024–25 regular-season matchup resulted from their stylistic clash, with the Cavaliers narrowly winning 129–122 at home. However, the Thunder responded a week later with a commanding 20-point triumph, demonstrating that this game could go either way.
Alexander vs. Shai Gilgeous-Jokic. a contest between the most recent MVPs in the league. Last season, Gilgeous-Alexander led the league in scoring (32.7 points per game), defeating Jokic for MVP and ending his hopes of winning a fourth honor. These two players have won four of the last five MVP awards together, and they will both be vying for another in 2025–2026.
