Breaking Down the Brooklyn Nets 2025-26 Schedule

Low expectations mean there is nothing to lose for Nets' players, which could lead to a handful of gritty upset wins. Going from October to April, we will try to identify the defining stretches and key dates for a rebuilding Brooklyn squad.

The beginning of the season looks to be the most challenging portion of the schedule. Outside of the opener against the Charlotte Hornets, it isn't easy to see where Brooklyn could claim its first win.

In the first 10 games of the season, six teams finished with winning records in 2024-25. The teams that had losing records, like the Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks, could all reasonably be above .500 after making offseason moves and having internal development.

There is a real scenario where Brooklyn could go through a losing streak of 10 or more games to begin the season. We can assume that there will be an upset win sprinkled in there to avoid a miserable start as such.

The Nets' NBA Cup games begin on Nov. 7 against the Detroit Pistons, and the fourth and final tournament contest will be held on Nov. 26 against the 76ers.

Tyler Carmona of OnSI did a game-by-game walkthrough of Brooklyn's four scheduled in-season tournament games. The Nets got an unfortunate draw in East group B with four playoff hopefuls as they look for their first knockout round berth.

There will be a nearly two-week break from Dec. 6 to Dec. 18 unless Brooklyn finds a way into the knockout round of the NBA Cup.

The Nets will have a troublesome stretch to start the new year with two back-to-backs in the first seven games of 2026. They have 14 back-to-backs this season compared to 15 from last season. A win will be hard to come by to start the new year, with the Chicago Bulls looking like the best opportunities on Jan. 16 and Jan. 18.

Brooklyn's first significant road stretch will begin in late January and wrap up on Feb. 1 for five straight away games.

After a home game against the Indiana Pacers on Feb. 11, the Nets will be on the all-star break until heading to Cleveland on Feb. 19. It does not get any easier after the break, as they will see 13 straight games against 2025 playoff or play-in teams.

It could make for an interesting March and April slate if Brooklyn has a poor record, like they are expected to. That would mean more time going towards the rookie class and unlikely performances to close the season.

The Nets' season will conclude on April 12 in a road game against the Toronto Raptors. Bleacher Report put Brooklyn's win total line at 20.5, and even that number seems like a challenging task given the schedule outlook.