Six Best Matchups to Look Forward to in the First Week of the NBA Regular Season
by Sam Cox | by Tyler Doty
The opening night of the 2025/26 NBA regular season is almost upon us. As ever, the NBA is treating us to some marquee matchups in the first few days of the new season, featuring big names in new uniforms, long-standing rivalries, and contests between teams set to be neck-and-neck throughout the campaign.
Here are some of the best games to look forward to in the first week of the season:
Rockets at Thunder, October 21
Kevin Durant in Oklahoma City for the Thunder’s ring night? Sign us up.
On the court, this is the Western Conference’s top two seeds going head-to-head. It’s the Rockets showcasing what their team looks like around Durant and without Fred VanVleet, who has been ruled out for the year.
How does Amen Thompson look after another offseason to develop? Does Houston’s brand of bully ball rattle the young Thunder?
There’s a lot to look out for in this matchup. OKC are eight-point favorites at the time of writing – it would be a massive shock if their title defense began with a loss.
Cavaliers at Knicks, October 22
The Cavaliers and Knicks are the two favorites in the Eastern Conference. Darius Garland and Max Strus are missing the start of the season for Cleveland, giving Lonzo Ball an opportunity to prove his worth.
New York is entering a season without Tom Thibodeau in charge for the first time since 2019. There are no injury concerns for Mike Brown, who is likely to start Mitchell Robinson.
Guerschon Yabusele, Josh Hart, and Jordan Clarkson are an impressive bench trio for the Knicks. New York is naturally favored for this game and can take an early lead in the season series, which could prove crucial when it comes to deciding Eastern Conference seeding.
Spurs at Mavericks, October 22
It’s a double whammy in Dallas. We get Victor Wembanyama and Cooper Flagg’s NBA debut. Every Wemby game is extremely watchable. Flagg is likely to be the same as a rookie, even if the Mavericks aren’t in contention.
Add in Anthony Davis, reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, and a side helping of state rivalry, and we’ve got a tantalizing contest in Dallas on the second night of the season.
Davis trying to slow down Wembanyama, will be the decisive duel in this game. Look out for Flagg’s role on offense – how much does Jason Kidd put the ball in his rookie star’s hands?
Nuggets at Warriors, October 23
A revamped Nuggets team head to San Francisco to face the Warriors on Thursday. This matchup has greater intrigue than Golden State’s opening-night matchup with the Lakers.
Nikola Jokić has the best roster of his NBA career. The Dubs were playing at an elite level with Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler healthy, and have added the veteran smarts of Al Horford.
Denver has Christian Braun and Bruce Brown to throw at Curry. Golden State has caused Jokić problems in the past and will mix up its coverages. This might be the most entertaining game of the first week and will give us an early indication of where the Warriors are at after failing to trade Jonathan Kuminga over the summer.
Hawks at Magic, October 24
Atlanta and Orlando are the two main challengers to the Cavaliers and Knicks. These teams are looking to capitalize on down years for the Pacers and Celtics, and both were aggressive in the offseason.
The Magic brought perimeter shooting in the door with Desmond Bane. The Hawks added to an already impressive group of wings with Nickeil Alexander-Walker and gave Trae Young an opportunity to play with a stretch five in Kristaps Porziņģis.
Both teams are adjusting to their new rosters, but this is an early look at two upwardly mobile franchises. It’s a chance to lay down a marker for both teams after they each dealt with major injuries last season.
Blazers at Clippers, October 26
Steve Ballmer’s expenditure on the Clippers’ new arena paid dividends last season with an impressive atmosphere even on dreary regular-season evenings. How will that atmosphere be impacted by the looming investigation into Kawhi Leonard’s payments?
The Blazers were competitive in the second half of last season and will be targeting a play-in berth this season. Jrue Holiday brings veteran leadership and steely defense to throw at James Harden, Chris Paul, and Bradley Beal.
Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson are the players to watch for Portland as potential ceiling raisers. Yang Hansen impressed in Summer League and will be closely followed in his rookie year.
