The important schedule for the new season has been revealed: Durant's Rockets will debut against the Thunder, and the Christmas showdown features five matchups.

On August 9, Beijing time, the NBA regular season's two most significant days are undoubtedly the opening night and Christmas Day, with insider Shams reporting the match arrangements for these two dates in the new season.

Opening night schedule (Beijing time, October 22)

The Houston Rockets will face the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road.

The Golden State Warriors will play against the Los Angeles Lakers on the road.

The NBA will allow the Rockets, featuring a new lineup with Kevin Durant, to visit Oklahoma City before the season opener to witness the Thunder's ring ceremony; the evening's highlight will be a rematch between LeBron James and Stephen Curry.

All four teams will participate in the Christmas Day games, along with six other teams fortunate enough to take the stage on this grandest occasion of the NBA year.

Christmas Day schedule

The Cleveland Cavaliers will face the New York Knicks on the road.

The San Antonio Spurs will challenge the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road.

The Houston Rockets will play against the Los Angeles Lakers on the road.

The Dallas Mavericks will face the Golden State Warriors on the road.

The Minnesota Timberwolves will challenge the Denver Nuggets on the road.

The matchup between the Knicks and the Cavaliers (likely scheduled during the noon slot in Eastern Time, which is the Knicks' regular home time each year) is the only game featuring all Eastern Conference teams. Given the injury troubles faced by top teams in the East, this is not surprising, but it also reflects—at least on paper—that there is a noticeable imbalance of power in the league for the 2025-26 season.

Wembanyama will make another appearance on Christmas Day, as he leads his team against the defending champions, the Thunder; the Rockets will challenge the Lakers on the road. The Mavericks, featuring Cooper Flagg and Anthony Davis, will head to the Bay Area to face the Warriors, while the showdown between Anthony Edwards and Nikola Jokic in Denver may very well be the night’s closing game.

The biggest absentee from the Christmas Day games is the Boston Celtics. Since 2016, the Celtics have participated in Christmas Day every year, but this year they failed to make the cut—reasons include Tatum's Achilles injury, which will keep him out next season, and the team's trades of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, indicating a transition year. Normally, the Pacers would have secured a spot after making it to the Finals, but due to Haliburton's Achilles injury sidelining him for the season, they also missed the opportunity.

The 76ers and the Suns are also regulars on Christmas Day, but with the Suns trading away Durant and the 76ers struggling with injuries and poor performance last season, both teams have disappeared from this elite schedule. This year's new faces in the Christmas Day lineup are the Rockets, Thunder, and Cavaliers—the Thunder's absence from last year's Christmas Day may have been one of the league's biggest oversights.

Although this schedule clearly favors the stronger Western teams, the matchup roster on paper is quite formidable, featuring both rising stars and seasoned veterans who have battled in the league for decades, creating a clever mix. The complete 82-game regular season schedule will be announced soon, but for now, fans can begin to look forward to these two grandest days of the regular season.