Stephen Curry's Warriors will face LeBron James' Lakers on opening night. Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Clash of titans: NBA season to tip off with rivalry games

Originally posted on Hoops Rumors | By Eli Cohen | Last updated Aug 8, 2025 6:21 PM ET

The 2025-26 NBA season will tip off on Oct. 21 with a pair of Western Conference matchups, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Opening Night of the 2025-26 NBA season on NBC on Oct. 21, per sources:

- Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder

- Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 8, 2025

The Rockets will go up against the 2024 title-winning Thunder to kick things off, followed by the Warriors against the Lakers.

This means Kevin Durant, on the new-look Rockets, will be heading to Oklahoma City on the night the Thunder receive their championship rings. Meanwhile, Stephen Curry will face off against LeBron James for the 57th time in their careers.

While the Mavericks were not tapped with an opening night game, Marc Stein of the Stein Line reports that their season will start on Oct. 22 against the Spurs in what is sure to be a much-anticipated matchup between this year’s No. 1 pick, Cooper Flagg, versus Victor Wembanyama and this year’s No. 2 pick, Dylan Harper.

This article first appeared on Hoops Rumors and was syndicated with permission.

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