August 12, 2025<\/a><\/p>\nThere are 14.4 back-to-backs on average per team compared to 14.9 last season. No team will play more than 16 back-to-backs, consistent with last season.
\nTeams will never play the day before these games:<\/p>\n
All opening-week national TV games
\nAll Emirates NBA Cup games
\nAll Christmas Day games
\nThe four-game Peacock\/NBC schedule on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
\nThe 10-game ABC Saturday schedule and eight-game ABC Sunday schedule
\nThe 11-game NBC Sunday schedule<\/p>\n
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Bucks\u2019 Myles Turner will return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in November.<\/p>\n
Notable returns to former team\u2019s arena<\/p>\n
\u2022 Oct. 22: Khris Middleton returns to Milwaukee with the Washington Wizards.
\u2022 Oct. 29: Zach LaVine returns to Chicago with the Sacramento Kings.
\u2022 Nov. 3: Norman Powell returns to Los Angeles to face the LA Clippers with the Miami Heat.
\u2022 Nov. 3: Myles Turner returns to Indiana with the Milwaukee Bucks.
\u2022 Nov. 6: Bradley Beal returns to Phoenix with the LA Clippers.
\u2022 Nov. 24 (Peacock): Kevin Durant returns to Phoenix with the Houston Rockets.
\u2022 Nov. 28 (Prime): Anthony Davis returns to L.A. with the Dallas Mavericks.
\u2022 Dec. 5: Jalen Green returns to Houston with the Phoenix Suns.
\u2022 Dec. 28: Anfernee Simons returns to Portland with the Boston Celtics.
\u2022 Jan. 19: Andrew Wiggins returns to Golden State with the Miami Heat.
\u2022 Jan. 26 (Peacock): Jrue Holiday returns to Boston with the Portland Trail Blazers.
\u2022 Jan. 28: Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is returns to Boston with the Atlanta Hawks.
\u2022 Jan. 29: Michael Porter Jr. returns to Denver with the Brooklyn Nets.
\u2022 March 8: CJ McCollum returns to New Orleans with the Washington Wizards.
\u2022 March 11: Brandon Ingram returns to New Orleans with the Toronto Raptors.
\u2022 March 29: Brook Lopez returns to Milwaukee with the LA Clippers.<\/p>\n
Notable matchups
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The Thunder and Cavaliers will face off twice in the 2025-2026 season, once ahead of the All-Star break on NBC\/Peacock and once after on ABC.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Last season\u2019s No. 1 playoff seeds will go head-to-head twice this season as the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers are scheduled to meet on Jan. 19 (@CLE on NBC\/Peacock) and Feb. 22 (@OKC on ABC).<\/p>\n
\u2022 LeBron James and Stephen Curry will log their 57th career matchup when the Golden State Warriors visit the Los Angeles Lakers on opening night, Oct. 21 (NBC\/Peacock). The two teams will match up again on Feb. 7 (@LAL on ABC), Feb. 28 (@GSW on ABC) and April 9 (@GSW on Prime).<\/p>\n
\u2022 Luka Don\u010di\u0107 and the Los Angeles Lakers will play Anthony Davis and the Dallas Maverick four times this season: Nov. 28 (@LAL on Prime), Jan. 24 (@DAL on ABC), Feb. 12 (@LAL on Prime) and April 5 (@DAL on NBC\/Peacock).<\/p>\n
\u2022 Anthony Edwards will have three opportunities to take down his basketball idol Kevin Durant as the Minnesota Timberwolves play the Houston Rockets on Jan. 16 (@HOU on ESPN), March 25 (@MIN on ESPN) and April 10 (@HOU).<\/p>\n
\u2022 In a rematch of the 2025 NBA Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers will face off on Oct. 23 (@IND on ESPN) and Jan. 23 (@OKC on Prime).<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers will match up in their crosstown rivalry four times: Nov. 25 (@LAL on NBC\/Peacock), Dec. 20 (@LAC), Jan. 22 (@LAC on Prime) and Feb. 20 (@ LAL on ESPN).<\/p>\n
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LeBron James and the Lakers will travel to New York in February to take on the Knicks.<\/p>\n
\u2022 LeBron James will play four games against his former teams. James and the Los Angeles Lakers will face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 28 (@CLE on ESPN) and March 31 (@LAL), and they will meet the Miami Heat on Nov. 2 (@LAL) and March 19 (@MIA).<\/p>\n
\u2022 LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers will make their one regular-season appearance at Madison Square Garden when they visit the New York Knicks on Feb. 1 (NBC\/Peacock).<\/p>\n
\u2022 Dallas Mavericks rookie No. 1 overall pick and Maine native Cooper Flagg will visit the Boston Celtics, his favorite childhood team, on March 6 (ESPN).<\/p>\n
\u2022 Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder will take on Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs four times this season: Dec. 23 (@SAS), Dec. 25 (@OKC on ABC), Jan. 13 (@OKC) and Feb. 4 (@SAS on ESPN).<\/p>\n
\u2022 Twin brothers Amen and Ausar Thompson will go head-to-head when Amen and the Houston Rockets take on Ausar and the Detroit Pistons on Oct. 24 (@HOU) and Jan. 23 (@DET on Prime).<\/p>\n
\u2022 Trae Young and the retooled Atlanta Hawks will play the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 2 (Prime).<\/p>\n
\u2022 Multiple-time MVP winners Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Joki\u0107 will match up twice as the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets face off on Jan. 11 (@DEN) and Jan. 23 (@MIL).<\/p>\n
\u2022 The new-look Houston Rockets will look to avenge last season\u2019s first-round playoff loss when they meet the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 26 (@GSW on ESPN), March 5 (@HOU on Prime) and April 5 (@GSW on NBC\/Peacock).<\/p>\n
\u2022 On March 3, the top four picks in the 2025 NBA Draft will be in action in head-to-head matchups: No. 1 Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks take on No. 4 Kon Knueppel and the Charlotte Hornets, while No. 2 Dylan Harper and the San Antonio Spurs go up against No. 3 VJ Edgecombe and the Philadelphia 76ers.<\/p>\n
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