Nothing fires up the NBA news cycle in August like the schedule release! Well, at least until a superstar requests a trade (and a side of spankopita!).

With the NBA’s release of the 2025-26 schedule, we can all start saving dates and setting aside large sums of money to watch the Toronto Raptors climb back to basketball relevance.

Grand Opening, Grand Closing

Similar to last season, the Raptors have a difficult opening schedule and relatively light slate to end the season. For the first time in 14 years(!), Toronto starts the season on the road (excluding the Tampa season, of course) with a trip to Atlanta. The Hawks had one of the more eventful offseasons: capitalizing on Boston’s fire sale and nabbing Kristaps Porzingis; participating in the historic 7-team trade that landed Kevin Durant in Houston (they offloaded Clint Capela to the Rockets and received cash plus a 2031 2nd-rounder); and signing Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

The rest of the first week is nothing short of jaw-dropping matchups. Toronto’s home opener has the potential to be an all-timer if Bobby Webster can complete the Greek Freak pursuit that Masai Ujiri started. Regardless, Giannis Antetokounmpo at Scotiabank Arena is always one of the loudest games of the season.

The drama doesn’t stop there as the Raptors face the Texas triangle over a 4-day span. The Raptors’ first back-to-back of the season is a juicy set against Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks, followed by a visit to Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. Toronto heads back home for a first look at Kevin Durant in a Houston Rockets uniform. Talk about an eventful first week!

On the flip side of the coin, the Raptors end its season with a bunch of winnable games. The final 10 games of season include 3 against lottery teams (Brooklyn, Sacramento, New Orleans), 3 more against fringe play-in teams (Boston, and Miami x 2), 3 against playoff teams with slim title hopes (Orlando, Memphis, and Detroit), and a game in New York when the Knicks are likely locked into a high seed and resting players.

December 4 — Los Angeles Lakers: Luka Doncic and Lebron James roll into town for their only visit to Scotiabank Arena. This will easily be the most expensive ticket of the season. Here’s hoping your loved ones surprise you with an early Christmas gift!

December 28 — Golden State Warriors: Steph Curry and Draymond Green aren’t getting any younger. So, these once-a-year visits carry a heavier weight. With Jimmy Butler in the fold, the hope is that Steve Kerr’s squad has one more title run in them.

December 31 — Denver Nuggets: While the previous two matchups listed stars at the tail ends of their careers, Nikola Jokic is knee-deep into his prime. The front office did a masterful job of building around the 3-time MVP’s unique skillset and are ready for another title run. Oh, and Bruce Brown makes his return to Toronto as well.

January 16 — Los Angeles Clippers: I should probably use this space to highlight Kawhi Leonard or James Harden and their pursuit to bring the franchise to the promised land. Or maybe I should write about the additions of Bradley Beal, Brook Lopez, and John Collins. Or the (re-)addition of Chris Paul. Instead, I’m fascinated that Los Angeles has, not one, but TWO Kobes on the roster. Kobe Sanders is rookie on a two-way deal, while Kobe Brown has the cool factor of being born on January 1st, 2000. (Well, I think that’s pretty neat)

January 28 — New York Knicks: Leon Rose replaced Tom Thibodeau with Mike Brown, shored up the bench by signing Guerschon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson, and locked in Mikal Bridges with a 4-year extension. With Boston, Indiana, and Milwaukee tumbling out of contender status, New York is one of the favourites to emerge in the East.

February 24 — Oklahoma City Thunder: The Raptors play in Oklahoma City a month earlier, but the defending champs come to town right after the All-Star break. I’m not sure what Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s key to the city of Hamilton opens, but the reigning MVP has opened all kinds of doors to Canadian basketball fans. It’s still mind-blowing to me that Canada has produced one of the best basketball players on the planet!

November 26 — Indiana Pacers: Whenever Pascal Siakam returns to Toronto, his infectious smile and jovial attitude makes watching him as an opponent a very difficult task. The Scotiabank Arena crowd may not be draped in Siakam jerseys, but you will see a lot of ‘43’ in the stands.

December 7 — Boston Celtics: It’s always a big deal when Toronto’s arch-nemesis is on the other side of the court. In the rarest of rare situations, Raptors fans will stand and applaud a player in green. Chris Boucher makes his first visit to Toronto as an opponent and will undoubtedly be celebrated throughout the evening.

January 11 & 12 — Philadelphia 76ers: With a roster full of young players and a front office hell-bent on cleaning house to build around Scottie Barnes, there aren’t many Raptors making buzz-worthy returns to Toronto. So, as long as he’s playing, Kyle Lowry will always be feted when he steps into Scotiabank Arena.

Stay tuned next week as I dive into the schedule deeper and highlight some games worth splurging for tickets!