We’re almost through the offseason. Now the schedule reveal begins, starting with NBA Opening Night. Per Shams Charania of ESPN, the opening night on October 21st will consist of four Western Conference contenders:
The Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder game comes with a lot of intrigue. It will be the debut for Kevin Durant in a Rockets jersey, and appropriately, it will be where it all began. It’s a fun twinge of irony that he’ll have to watch the Thunder raise their first banner in franchise history on ring night. Currently, the Thunder and Rockets are first and second in title odds for the 2025/26 NBA season.
Golden State and Los Angeles aren’t inner-circle Western Conference contenders like Houston and OKC, but they’re the next-best thing. The Warriors looked dangerous after trading for Jimmy Butler, and will presumably have figured out the Jonathan Kuminga situation in the next two months. As long as they have a healthy Steph Curry, they have a chance. The Rockets found that out the hard way last season, losing at home to drop their fifth straight playoff series against the Curry-led Warriors.
The Lakers beefed up this offseason by adding Jake LaRavia, Marcus Smart, and Deandre Ayton to fill out the rotation. With Luka Doncic locked up and LeBron James settled, they’re a threat on any given night. Health and energy will be of paramount importance for this team, but the tools are there. As the Lakers transition out of the James era into the Doncic era, this may be the last chance for those two to do something special together.
The Lakers and Warriors are seventh and eighth, respectively, in 2025/26 title odds. That puts them fifth and sixth in a loaded Western Conference. For this game, the Lakers are favored by 3.5 points at home and at -162 on the moneyline. The game is slated to start at 11:00 E.T.
It’s a loaded NBA Opening Night slate. Mark your calendars, and buckle up for a rollercoaster of a season.
