The halfway point of the NBA offseason has arrived, and the league has a gift for fans to mark the occasion.
Just under two months after the Thunder took home the title and just over two months before the first game of the season tips off, the NBA has rolled out a schedule release over the last few days, and on Thursday, the full schedule for the 2025–26 season was released. They’re all just dates on a calendar, but what’s the fun in loving sports if not to celebrate the small things? Or to get irrationally excited about games months away from tipping off?
To that end, this upcoming NBA season is ripe enough with narratives and storylines that there’s plenty of reason to look forward to the games. This offseason was eventful, with generational prospect Cooper Flagg joining the NBA ranks and elite talents like Kevin Durant getting traded. The ghosts of last season continue to linger, too, as the new year kicks off without superstars like Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton as they recover from serious injuries. Even absent any information about standings or title odds, the upcoming season is a rich text filled with possibilities for great drama, intrigue, and—most importantly—great basketball.
Let’s all get excited about it together. Here are seven games to circle on the calendar as the new NBA season approaches.
Rockets at Thunder, Oct. 21
Everyone reading this is already looking forward to opening night and would be no matter what, so I don’t need to tell you to circle it on the calendar. Nonetheless, the first game is a really good one.
The off-court drama surrounding Durant’s attendance at ring night in Oklahoma City is reason enough to schedule the matchup. KD was once the chosen one for the Thunder, the superstar who would lead the franchise to the promised land; instead he left in free agency to join a hated rival and hasn’t heard the end of it since. Now he’ll bear witness to the new generation of talent to join the franchise who succeeded where he failed. The sheer soap opera threatens to overwhelm the delectable spread of basketball fans get to witness between these two teams.
The Thunder are champions and bring back literally every major and minor contributor to their title run. We know what we’ll see from them, but the juice of playing for the first time since winning the NBA Finals gives players a big boost that makes for enjoyable viewing. They are also very well-equipped to deal with a new-look Houston team that, on paper, stacks up as a serious threat to OKC’s crown. Durant’s scoring added to one of the few defenses that can rival the Thunder’s elite unit could make for tremendous basketball indeed—but there will be growing pains. Just how significant those growing pains are should be clear on opening night and, more broadly, will give the basketball world its first look at the team that represents Durant’s best (and likely last) chance for another championship. Both on and off the court, the storylines are arresting. Just how it should be on opening night.
Spurs at Mavericks, Oct. 22
The NBA cooked up quite the matchup for Flagg’s debut. The 2025 No. 1 overall pick is one of the most-hyped prospects of the century, and his first professional minutes will garner significant interest. He starred last season for Duke as a combo forward who could score, defend, shoot and pass at a high level. That archetype dominates the league right now, and the wide-open space of the professional game should allow Flagg’s multitude of skills to shine. There is plenty of room for improvement, of course, but only a few players have entered the NBA as polished as Flagg appears to be across the board.
How Flagg performs in his first outing is not indicative in any way of how his career will play out (lest we forget Michael Carter-Williams’s triple-double in his NBA debut against the Heatles in 2013), but it will still be informative—and most importantly, fun! It is rare to see an A+ prospect take the court for his first NBA minutes. Whether Flagg becomes an All-Star, a superstar, or washes out in the near future, this moment will be crystallized in time in the NBA history books. We should enjoy it.
Then there’s the opponent he’ll be lining up against. Victor Wembanyama will make his return for San Antonio after last season was cut short due to deep vein thrombosis. There will be many eyes watching the 7' 3" Frenchman and how he looks after dealing with such a serious health issue. On the lighter side of things, Wemby spent part of his summer training with Shaolin monks and consequently may debut some never-before-seen moves on the court. Regardless, he has been appointment viewing since he came to the NBA and it’ll be great to see Wembanyama in action for the first time since February—not to mention how he pairs with the No. 2 pick, Dylan Harper.
Rockets at Warriors, Nov. 26
The Warriors-Rockets first-round playoff series last season made for one of the most entertaining. It was an absolute rock fight that went seven games, and by the end of it, both teams had serious beef with each other. That’s postseason basketball, baby. It feels like the dawn of a renewed rivalry between the Rockets’ new crop of talent and the old guard of the Warriors, one that got an extra injection of spice with the developments of the offseason—led, of course, by Durant’s arrival in Houston.
It’s been a while since Durant played for the Warriors, so matchups between the two sides are not quite as tense as maybe they were five years ago. But that narrative has rekindled a bit after the former MVP nixed a trade that would’ve sent him back to Golden State at this year’s trade deadline. The Warriors instead opted for Jimmy Butler, who is never afraid to bring some attitude to the court regardless of opponent. Take all that, mix in Draymond Green’s love of instigating, the tension that led to flagrant fouls in the playoffs, and you’ve got strong potential for fireworks.
Even if they don’t come, though, this is a great basketball matchup that doubles as a high-level playoff preview. The floor is quite high on the enjoyment scale here.
Thunder at Pacers, Oct. 23
This year’s NBA Finals rematch doesn’t spark the same joy as in years past, thanks to Haliburton’s Achilles injury that he’ll be recovering from throughout this season. Nevertheless, Gainbridge Fieldhouse promises to be absolutely electric when the Thunder come to town again, as they will in the opening week of the season. What’s more, it’ll be the Pacers’ season opener, the first chance fans have had to greet their favorite players since they won Game 6 last June. It promises to be a raucous affair.
It’ll also be interesting to see what Indy looks like without Haliburton or Myles Turner, who held down the middle for the Pacers for a full decade before signing with the Bucks in free agency. Rick Carlisle might come out with some of the most creative schemes of his career to offset Haliburton’s absence and Turner’s departure. No matter what, though, after watching these Pacers make their postseason run, we know without a doubt they will play as hard as they’ve ever played to upend expectations and take down the defending champs.
Bucks at Pacers, Nov. 3
Speaking of Turner, his homecoming is definitely going to be one to watch. The longtime Pacer signed with the Bucks in free agency to the tune of a four-year deal worth $107 million, which was painful on multiple levels for Indy fans. Turner was the longest-tenured player on the team despite constant trade rumors, and homegrown talents are always a little more beloved than anyone else among the fan base. For him to leave after the franchise’s best season since Reggie Miller graced the floor is tough to swallow. For him to leave and join the Bucks, a division rival who the Pacers have almost physically fought with on multiple occasions in the last few years? That’ll get fans riled up.
Thus, his return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse should be marked on the calendar. There are few better narratives in sports than when a once-adored athlete returns to his former home after turning heel in the eyes of the fan base. Add in all the extracurriculars that have occurred around Bucks-Pacers games in recent years and this ought to be a good one.
Lakers at Mavericks, Jan. 24
Luka Doncic has, of course, already gone through his first emotional return to Dallas after the stunning trade that sent him from the Mavericks to the Lakers in the middle of a cold January night. And reports from the summer suggest he’s gotten over the whole thing already. But Doncic does not seem like a man who forgets very easily. He will undoubtedly be out for blood every second he’s on the floor at American Airlines Center. A player of his caliber, driven by that level of motivation, is always, always worth watching, especially during a regular season that can feel like a slog sometimes. Doncic is lightning in a bottle, and there is no better chance he’ll strike than against the Mavs. That’ll be the case for the foreseeable future.
The events of the offseason have only added to the hype for his first time back in Dallas for the 2025–26 season. He is apparently in the best shape of his life. The Mavs were somehow immediately blessed by the basketball gods and got Flagg to replace him in the eyes of a fan base torn asunder by the trade. Oh, and there’s the whole LeBron James/Anthony Davis of it all. As painful as this matchup is for Mavericks fans, it’s equally as fascinating to the neutral observer.
Clippers at Suns, Nov. 6
It is rare for one game to encapsulate all the feelings of a fan base, but this game ought to do just that.
When the Clippers visit PHX Arena for the first time next season, they will be bringing with them a beloved figure in Suns’ franchise history who may be on his way out this season in Chris Paul. While rumors of his retirement tour turned out to be a little early, the sun is clearly setting for the future Hall of Fame point guard. Paul turned 40 in May and was without a team until mid-July when he signed a veteran minimum deal to return to Los Angeles. He was central to Phoenix’s championship run in 2020–21 and very nearly brought the franchise to the promised land. How quickly things fell apart after his departure showed everybody how critical he was to the Suns’ best season ever. He should be welcomed back with wide-open arms for what could very well be one of his final visits to Phoenix.
On the other end of the spectrum, Bradley Beal will also return as part of the Clippers after signing his own free agency deal to head to L.A. It is safe to assume Beal is less appreciated than CP3 by the Suns. He was traded to Phoenix to form a new Big Three with Durant and Devin Booker; the move failed spectacularly in every way possible. It was not Beal’s fault alone, but as the highest-paid member of the trio and the one who stood most in the way of significant change due to his no-trade clause, he will certainly be remembered as the avatar of everything that went wrong for two incredibly expensive seasons. The fans will likely make their displeasure with that era known the moment Beal enters the arena again, which is always great theater for those not emotionally connected to any party. The basketball may be of admittedly questionable quality, but the narratives around the NBA can be just as enjoyable to consume as the game itself. This is one such instance.
Honorable mentions
Kevin Durant’s first game back in Phoenix, Nov. 24
In the somewhat less significant realm of homecomings, Durant’s return to Phoenix will be interesting because it’s not super clear how the fan base should feel about him—which stands in stark contrast to the previous occasions Durant has gone through a homecoming. He was excellent as an individual scorer for the Suns, and fans surely appreciated watching him play. But he also was part of a high-priced abject failure of a superteam and his trade out of town didn’t come anywhere close to covering the cost of acquiring him. How Durant is greeted should prove a subplot worth watching that night. If anything, we can rest assured that Jalen Green is going to get up plenty of shots against his old team.
Cooper Flagg comes to Boston, March 6
Part of what makes Flagg unique off the court is that he’s from Maine, which is not exactly a hotbed of elite basketball prospects. Nor is New England at large. The first time he plays in Boston should include a significant contingent of Flagg family and friends in the stands—which, for the reasons previously listed, is an unusual sight at TD Garden. What’s more, in a down year for the Celtics, one must wonder how loud that contingent could get. Louder than the home fans, even? Celtics fans would probably take that as a challenge.
Timberwolves-Nuggets on Christmas
Anthony Edwards had to make this list somewhere, right? One of the most electrifying players in the NBA, Edwards’s Timberwolves are slated to battle the Nuggets in the final game of the Christmas Day slate. Christmas basketball is obviously great, but this one is worth highlighting more than the others because Edwards loves a spotlight. And so does Nikola Jokic, apparently! Not off the court and not on any day other than Christmas. But the three-time MVP gets up for Christmas Day games. In 2022, Jokic recorded the third 40-15-15 game in NBA history, and in ’23 he put up 26-14-8 to beat Steph Curry’s Warriors. Both teams figure to be title contenders and should put on a competitive contest, but the stars in particular seem primed to show off.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Seven Best NBA Games to Circle for the 2025–26 Season.
