NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
With the unveiling of the 2025-26 NBA schedule presented by Ticketmaster now behind us, it’s time to explore the most compelling narratives and exciting matchups to look forward to as a new season approaches.
From an action-packed opening week to the initiation of the third annual Emirates NBA Cup and a slate of dazzling games on Christmas Day, here are ten must-see matchups leading up to the year’s end in 2025.
> **Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock**
The NBA makes its return to NBC for the first time since the 2001-02 season, kicking off with a doubleheader on opening night. The festivities will begin in Oklahoma City with the raising of the championship banner and ring ceremony for the 2024-25 champion Thunder.
Before the new season tips off, the Thunder will honor their title win one last time as they prepare to defend their crown against the Rockets, who finished second in the Western Conference last season and brought Kevin Durant on board this summer.
KD will make his Houston return, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder aim to embark on the NBA’s first back-to-back title chase since Durant’s days with the 2017-18 Warriors.
> **Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock**
The opening night doubleheader wraps up with a high-profile clash in Los Angeles, where the Lakers will face the Warriors in the 57th matchup between iconic figures LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
This game will not only add another chapter to their storied rivalry but will also mark a historic moment as James becomes the first player in NBA history to enter his 23rd season, continuing to challenge the limits of age.
Additionally, L.A.’s Luka Dončić and Golden State’s Jimmy Butler III, two major additions from last season’s trades, will be playing their first games of the new season with their new teams.
> **Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN**
In a much-anticipated rookie matchup, No. 1 draft pick Cooper Flagg and the Mavericks will host No. 2 pick Dylan Harper and the Spurs, marking just the second time since 1966 that the top two picks in an NBA Draft face off in their inaugural regular-season game. The previous instance was in 2015 with Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell.
But beyond the rookie showdown, this game will also signal the return of Victor Wembanyama for his third NBA season, following a sophomore year marred by deep vein thrombosis. After recovering his health and learning valuable lessons from former Kia MVP and DPOY Kevin Garnett, fans will be eager to see how Year 3 Wemby fits in alongside Harper, last year’s Kia ROY Stephon Castle, and newly-extended De’Aaron Fox.
> **Thursday, Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN**
Just two days post-receiving their championship rings, the Thunder will head to Indianapolis for an intriguing rematch of last year’s Finals, coming just over four months since SGA and the Thunder triumphed over Pascal Siakam and the Pacers in a thrilling seven-game series.
Oklahoma City returns almost its entire roster—players who accounted for a league-high 95% of last season’s minutes—as they look to replicate their past success. Indiana, on the other hand, ranks third in team continuity (83%) but will face this rematch without two key starters from their Finals team: Tyrese Haliburton (recovering from a torn Achilles) and Myles Turner (who signed with Milwaukee this summer).
> **Friday, Oct. 24 at 10 p.m. ET on Prime Video**
The first Friday night doubleheader on Prime Video features a playoff rematch from 2025, with the Wolves facing off against the Lakers—a series Minnesota won in five games as they progressed toward back-to-back appearances in the Western Conference Finals.
Key players in this matchup will be L.A.’s Dončić (averaging 28.2 ppg) and Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards (27.6 ppg)—two of the NBA’s most electrifying young scorers, who landed fourth and fifth in scoring last season among players with 50+ games. Their playoff history extends beyond last year’s matchup, as Minnesota’s 2024 playoff run was cut short by Dončić and the Mavericks in the Western Finals.
> **Friday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. ET on Prime Video**
Halloween marks the beginning of the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup, opening with a Group Play clash featuring the Celtics visiting the 76ers. The historical rivalry between these two teams is unparalleled, with no other teams facing each other in as many games—587 combined regular season and postseason contests, including a record 22 playoff series. That said, this will be their inaugural encounter in NBA Cup Group Play during the competition’s three-year run.
Fans will get an early-season look at the revamped Celtics, who will be missing prominent figures Jayson Tatum (Achilles), Jrue Holiday (now with Portland), and Kristaps Porziņģis (now with Atlanta) from their 2024 championship roster, while adding promising scorer Anfernee Simons. For the 76ers, how will the trio of Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey perform, given their limited play together last season?
> **Saturday, Nov. 1 at 10 p.m. ET on Peacock**
The NBA’s global footprint expands with five preseason games and three regular-season games scheduled outside the United States this season. The first of these international contests features the Mavericks taking on the Pistons in Mexico City, marking the 34th NBA game played in Mexico since 1992—the most for any country outside of the U.S. and Canada.
This game showcases a mix of established all-stars—Dallas’ Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and Kyrie Irving (currently injured)—boasting a collective 23 All-Star appearances and six championships, alongside emerging stars like Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Jaden Ivey, and Dallas’ own Cooper Flagg, who will be playing his first international game as the number one pick.
The Pistons, riding high after a remarkable single-season turnaround that saw them increase their win total by 30 and reach the playoffs for the first time since 2019, will face a Mavericks roster entering a new chapter with Flagg’s addition coinciding with Davis’ first full season in Dallas.
> **Friday, Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video**
The concluding night of Group Play for the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup will feature last year’s champions, the Milwaukee Bucks, visiting the Knicks in an East Group C clash between the only two teams to sweep Group Play (4-0) last season.
Last season, the NBA Cup acted as a catalyst for Milwaukee’s resurgence. After a rough start at 2-8 through ten games, the Bucks went on a flawless 7-0 run in the NBA Cup, maintaining their undefeated status in Group Play throughout the event’s history. They advanced through elimination rounds to defeat eventual NBA champion Thunder.
On the other hand, New York’s only loss in Group Play history came at the hands of the Bucks back in 2023. Can the Knicks seek revenge and derail Milwaukee’s quest to repeat as champions?
> **Thursday, Dec. 25 at Noon ET on ABC/ESPN**
For the 18th consecutive year, NBA Christmas Day features a five-game lineup of festive basketball action. The Knicks are set to make their record-extending 58th Christmas Day appearance, hosting the Cavaliers in a clash of top-three Eastern Conference teams from last season.
This matchup will prominently feature the All-Star backcourt of Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell and New York’s Jalen Brunson. Last season, Mitchell (24.0 ppg) led the Cavaliers to an impressive 64 wins, while Brunson, who collected 212 clutch points (regular season and postseason combined), earned the title of Kia Clutch Player of the Year.
However, both teams fell short of reaching the NBA Finals, losing to the Indiana Pacers—Cleveland in the Eastern Semifinals and New York in the Eastern Finals. Which of these East contenders will make a statement this Christmas Day with a victory?
> **Thursday, Dec. 25 at 10:30 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN**
The Christmas schedule concludes in Denver as Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets host Edwards and the Wolves in an escalating rivalry that emerged from a hard-fought seven-game series during the 2024 Western Semifinals, which was ultimately won by Minnesota in the Mile High City.
The Wolves captured the last two games of that showdown and continued their dominance in the regular-season series, extending their winning streak against the Nuggets to six consecutive games, highlighted by a thrilling double-overtime triumph on April 1. In that contest, Edwards tallied 34 points, matching 26 from Julius Randle and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (currently with Atlanta), as they withstood the highest-scoring triple-double ever recorded, with Jokić churning out a stunning 61-10-10 performance in the loss.
