First, on October 21, the Rockets will travel to Oklahoma City to face what is likely to be one of their biggest competitors this year in the defending champion Thunder. This is likely to be the early game, as the second Opening Night game is between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors in L.A.

Opening Night of the 2025-26 NBA season will reportedly feature multiple matchups between Western Conference teams looking to return to the playoffs.

After being bluntly left out of last year's Christmas Day slate, the Oklahoma City Thunder have returned to playing on the NBA's all-day slate. They will host the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, Dec. 25, per ESPN's Shams Charania.