NBA Confirms Opening Night, Christmas Day, and Martin Luther King Jr Day Slates

Just over two months out from the beginning of the NBA’s 2025-26 season, the NBA confirmed its big day matchups in a social media release. The full schedule is set to drop on Thursday, but we were given a preview of the action early Tuesday morning. 

(Image Credit to the Associated Press)

On Tuesday, the NBA confirmed its big day matchups for the upcoming season. 

Opening night - set for Tuesday, October 21st - will feature two games. 

At 7:30 PM EST, the Oklahoma City Thunder will kick off their title defence against the Houston Rockets, who acquired superstar Kevin Durant over the offseason to pair with a young and talented roster. 

Later that night, at 10:00 PM EST, the Los Angeles Lakers will open their season against the Golden State Warriors. This will be the Lakers’ first full season with Luka Doncic and LeBron James at the forefront of LA’s attack. 

The Christmas slate, which features five games, is where things get interesting. 

At noon, the Cleveland Cavaliers will play the New York Knicks; this is a matchup between two teams who are set to once again contend for the Eastern Conference’s top seeds. 

Two-and-a-half hours later, Oklahoma City plays host to the Victor Wembanyama-led San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs will be looking to push their way up the Western Conference ladder in 2025-26; upsetting the defending champions on Christmas Day could be an opportunity for them to make a case. 

Then, at 5:00 PM EST, the Dallas Mavericks will play the Golden State Warriors. Not only is this a reunion for Klay Thompson, as he used to play for the Warriors, but this will also be the first chance for top draft pick Cooper Flagg to take on one of the league’s best in the form of Steph Curry. 

Three hours later, the Lakers and Rockets will return to the national spotlight in what will be a battle between two contenders in the Western Conference. Los Angeles will be looking to make a stronger claim for supremacy in the Western Conference after acquiring Luka Doncic, while the Houston Rockets will look to maintain their hold on a top spot in the West after a strong 2024-25 season. 

To conclude the Christmas slate, the Minnesota Timberwolves will travel to play the Denver Nuggets. While Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves will be looking to get to their third consecutive Western Conference Final, Denver will be looking to once again be a contender with an offence led by Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. 

The final big day slate that was confirmed was for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

That slate will kick off with Milwaukee taking on Atlanta at 1:00 PM. Milwaukee and Atlanta will be two teams who will be fighting for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spots, and this contest could go a long way in deciding the order between the two teams. 

Elsewhere, in what could potentially be a Finals preview, the Oklahoma City Thunder will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers at 2:30 PM EST. This will be followed by Dallas playing the New York Knicks. 

To conclude the slate, the Boston Celtics, who will be without Jayson Tatum for much of 2025-26, will take on the Detroit Pistons, who worked their way into the playoff picture last season and could be looking to once again establish themselves as a force in the Eastern Conference. 

The full 2025-26 NBA schedule will be released on Thursday. 

This was the first of a three-part NBA schedule breakdown. The second part, which will focus on the teams with the easiest and hardest slates, will come out in conjunction with the NBA’s schedule. 

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Article written by Noah Guttman