After almost four months, the NBA is back! That’s right, the 2025-26 regular season gets underway on Tuesday with a doubleheader featuring the defending champs and star-studded Western Conference rivals.
Tuesday’s Tip-Off schedule is as follows:
- Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock; OKC – 7.5, O/U 226.5)
- Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers (10 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock; GS -2.5, O/U 224.5)
ONE DAY AWAY FROM NBA HOOPS ON NBC AND PEACOCK! pic.twitter.com/zSo3lWiq7X
— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) October 20, 2025
You may have noticed above that the doubleheader will be on NBC and Peacock and you would be correct. For the first time since the end of the 2001-02 season, the NBA is back on NBC (and so is Roundball Rock). That’s just one piece of a major broadcasting shakeup that takes effect this season, which will see no coverage on Turner Sports for the first time since 1989 as Inside the NBA moves to ESPN and streaming becomes a major element of national NBA television coverage. For those looking for a breakdown of where they can watch the NBA every night, the league sent out a clean and simple graphic to illustrate.
2025-26 NBA Season Watch Guide ✍️
The 2025-26 regular season begins Tuesday, October 21 on NBC and Peacock! pic.twitter.com/oz69eJiJdR
— NBA (@NBA) October 15, 2025
Obviously, Prime and NBC/Peacock will juggle NFL and NBA coverage this season, but this is where you can find your NBA basketball this season. Much like the rest of television, sports leagues are continuing their embrace of streaming when it comes to broadcast rights. We’ve seen the NFL put games on Prime and Peacock (as well as Netflix) in the past, and now the NBA joins the streaming revolution.
For those who have never signed up for a streaming service before, basically it’s a way to watch television over the internet through an app on your phone, tablet or smart TV independent of a cable subscription (although sometimes a cable subscription will include streaming subscriptions). Below is how and where to watch NBA games live without cable.
Peacock
- Peacock is the streaming service from NBCUniversal and parent company Comcast. You can choose your plan and subscribe here. Peacock is available via the Apple App Store, Google Play Store and on smart TVs.
Prime Video
- Prime Video is included with an Amazon Prime subscription. You can learn more here. Prime Video is available via the Apple App Store, Google Play Store and on smart TVs.
ESPN
- ESPN is still widely available through all cable operators and services such as YouTube TV and FUBO, but ESPN also launched their streaming app in August. You can choose your plan and subscribe here. ESPN is available via the Apple App Store, Google Play Store and on smart TVs.
Opening Night Free-to-Play pools on DraftKings Sportsbook
DraftKings is offering TWO free-to-play pools for NBA Opening Night, each with $5,000 in total prizes.
- Corona Courtside Picks – NBA Tip-Off — Pick the correct answers by the start of the featured NBA games for a shot at this guaranteed prize pool! NBA official rules and scoring are used to determine the correct answers. Where DraftKings determines there is a change in the participants) and/or team(s), DraftKings reserves the right to modify the relevant question to reflect the new participant(s) and/or team(s) or cancel the contest or portion of the contest, as the case may be, as determined by Draftkings. All prizes will be distributed at the end of the game(s). Payout details are available in the table below. The start time is subject to change.
- Jägermeister Ice Cold Shots Series – NBA Tip-Off — Pick the correct answers by the start of the featured NBA game(s) for a shot at this guaranteed prize pool! NBA official rules and scoring are used to determine the correct answers. Where Draftkings determines there is a change in the participant(s) and/or team(s), DraftKings reserves the right to modify the relevant question to reflect the new participant(s) and/or team(s) or cancel the contest or portion of the contest, as the case may be, as determined by Draftkings. All prizes will be distributed at the end of the game(s). Payout details are available in the table below. The start time is subject to change.
2025-26 NBA odds on DraftKings Sportsbook
The Oklahoma City Thunder are +245 favorites to win the NBA title on DraftKings Sportsbook with the over/under on their regular-season win total set at 62.5. The Nuggets follow the Thunder at +600 to win the title, followed by the Cavs (+750), the Knicks (+900) and the Rockets (+1100).
The Thunder are also favored to win the NBA Cup at +300, followed by the Cavs (+750), Knicks (+800), Nuggets (+1200) and Rockets (+1300). Nikola Jokic is the favorite to win the NBA MVP at +220, followed by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+275), Luka Dončić (+380), Giannis Antetokounmpo (+1100) and Victor Wembanyama (+1200).
King of the Court will also be returning on DraftKings for the 2025 NBA season! Now, you can track your picks on the new in-app leaderboard. Learn more here!
