NBA Schedule Released for Opening Night, Christmas, and MLK Day Games

• The NBA has released its regular-season schedule for the 2025-26 campaign, but only for Opening Night, Christmas Day, and MLK Day.
• The Christmas schedule is highlighted by Cavs-Knicks, Spurs-Thunder, and Rockets-Lakers.
• The season-opening doubleheader will take place on October 21 on NBC and Peacock with the Rockets-Thunder and Warriors-Lakers.

The regular-season schedule for big days on the upcoming NBA campaign has been announced, including the Christmas schedule and MLK Day, which features the usual suspects like the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors.

These two will also anchor the season-opening doubleheader in the NBA’s return to NBC, as well as Peacock. Warriors-Lakers will follow the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Who is Playing in the NBA on Christmas Day and MLK Day?

The full NBA schedule will be revealed later this week, but for now, we have the schedule for Opening Night, Christmas Day, and MLK Day.

There are always NBA Christmas Day odds to look forward to, and this season’s slate is massive. The action tips off with Cleveland visiting New York at noon Eastern time, followed by San Antonio heading to Oklahoma City. Golden State visits Dallas, followed by Houston in Los Angeles against the Lakers. The day is capped by Denver hosting Minnesota.

Christmas Day is always headlined by the stars, and they’ll be out in full force. These games will be on ABC and ESPN.

• Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson step into the spotlight as, arguably, the top two teams in the East square off in New York.
• Victor Wembanyama leads the Spurs against MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the defending champs from OKC.
• Stephen Curry and the Warriors against #1 overall pick Cooper Flagg and the Mavericks.
• Kevin Durant takes on Luka Doncic and LeBron James in Los Angeles.
• Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic leads the Nuggets against Anthony Edwards and Minnesota.

The Martin Luther King Day slate was also announced, with four games taking place on NBC and Peacock. Milwaukee and Atlanta kick things off at 1 PM, exclusively on Peacock, followed by OKC-Cleveland, Dallas-New York, and Boston-Detroit.

Curry, LeBron, SGA, Luka, and KD Headline Season Openers on NBC and Peacock

The NBA is back on NBC for the first time since 2002, and will use Peacock to air games. They’ll get the rights for the Opening Night doubleheader, which starts the season on October 21, 2025. The Rockets head to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder in an exciting Western Conference matchup.

Meanwhile, James and Curry have been longtime rivals, but both are coming to the end of their careers. James and the Lakers face Curry and the Warriors in the late game that night, and it could be the last time these two icons open up the season against each other.

It’ll soon be time to start looking at the NBA championship odds for next season. But we have the schedule for the most important days of the season, and we’ll have the full slate this week.