ESPN and ABC announced its blockbuster Opening Week and Christmas schedules for the 2025-26 NBA regular season. Opening Week will include two doubleheaders across Wednesday, October 22 and Thursday, October 23. All five Christmas games presented by State Farm on Thursday, December 25, will exclusively air across ESPN and ABC.
ESPN enters its 24th consecutive season as the primary broadcast partner of the NBA and the exclusive home of the NBA’s most-marquee events, including the NBA Finals on ABC.
Opening Week Presented by State Farm Schedule
| Date | Time (ET) | Game | Platform |
| Wed, Oct. 22 | 7 p.m. | Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks | ESPN |
| Wed, Oct. 22 | 9:30 p.m. | San Antonio Spurs vs. Dallas Mavericks | ESPN |
| Thu, Oct. 23 | 7:30 p.m. | Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers | ESPN |
| Thu, Oct. 23 | 10 p.m. | Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors | ESPN |
Christmas Day Presented by State Farm Schedule
| Time (ET) | Game | Platforms |
| 12 p.m. | Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks | ESPN, ABC |
| 2:30 p.m. | San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder | ESPN, ABC |
| 5 p.m. | Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State Warriors | ESPN, ABC |
| 8 p.m. | Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers | ESPN, ABC |
| 10:30 p.m. | Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets | ESPN, ABC |
Opening Week Presented by State Farm on ESPN
ESPN tips off its 2025-26 NBA regular-season coverage with four marquee matchups presented by State Farm across back-to-back nights. The action begins on Wednesday, October 22, at 7 p.m. ET, as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Donovan Mitchell travel to Madison Square Garden to play the New York Knicks and Jalen Brunson in a battle of two Eastern Conference powerhouses. Following the game, at 9:30 p.m., two first overall picks – both past and present – square off deep in the heart of Texas, as the Dallas Mavericks and the debuting Cooper Flagg host the San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama.
Opening Week continues Thursday, October 23, beginning at 7:30 p.m. with a 2025 NBA Finals rematch as the reigning NBA Champion Oklahoma City Thunder and reigning M.V.P. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander visit the Indiana Pacers and Pascal Siakam. The evening’s nightcap features a Western Conference star-studded showdown as the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry host the Denver Nuggets and three-time MVP Nikola Jokić.
Knicks open their season at home vs Cavs on Oct. 22 in nationally televised game (ESPN) pic.twitter.com/J7mZPJSwiY
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) August 12, 2025
All Five NBA Christmas Games on ESPN and ABC – The Biggest Day of the Regular Season
ESPN continues its longstanding tradition of presenting exclusive, wall-to-wall coverage of all five Christmas Day games – the biggest day of the regular season. This year, all five games presented by State Farm will once again air across both ESPN and ABC.
The action tips off at 12 p.m. from Madison Square Garden where the Cleveland Cavaliers and Donovan Mitchell return to New York to face the Knicks and Jalen Brunson. At 2:30 p.m., the San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama visit the Oklahoma City Thunder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Coverage continues at 5 p.m., where the Dallas Mavericks and Cooper Flagg visit the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry. At 8 p.m., the game’s biggest names take center court in Los Angeles when the Lakers, led by LeBron James and Luka Dončić, host the Houston Rockets and newly acquired star Kevin Durant.
The star-studded slate concludes at 10:30 p.m. as the Minnesota Timberwolves and Anthony Edwards, fresh off their Western Conference Finals appearance, visit the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokić.
The complete 2025-26 NBA on ESPN regular season schedule will be announced on Thursday.
(Release via NBA)
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