Banner? Raised. ✅
Rings? Received. ✅
Roundball? Rocked. ✅
Opening Night? Epic. ✅
5 stories in today’s edition 🏀
Oct. 22, 2025
Instant Classic In OKC: Shai rallies Thunder past Sengun, KD & Rockets in a double-OT duel
Night, Night: Luka makes Lakers history, but Steph steals the show with a Dubs dagger
Spurs at Mavs: Cooper Flagg debuts in Dallas against Wemby, Dylan Harper & San Antonio
Cavs at Knicks: Two East heavyweights clash at the World’s Most Famous Arena
Tonight On League Pass: Sixers-Celtics lead a 10-game Opening Week feast
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Now that the championship banner is flying high in OKC…
Twenty-four teams open their seasons tonight, headlined by ESPN’s first doubleheader of 2025-26.
In the East, elite talent takes center stage at MSG as the Cavaliers face the Knicks (7 ET). Then it’s a Texas showdown of young stars, with No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg making his NBA debut against Victor Wembanyama and the visiting Spurs (9:30 ET).
1. Instant classic: Thunder edge Rockets in double-OT
On the night NBC returned to the NBA with Roundball Rock ringing out, the Thunder and Rockets struck an unforgettable opening note.
Thunder 125, Rockets 124 (2OT): In a back-and-forth thriller featuring 12 ties and 22 lead changes, Alperen Sengun erupted for the new-look Rockets (39 pts, 11 reb, 7 ast), helping build a 12-point cushion in the 3rd quarter.
But the reigning champs roared back behind the reigning Kia MVP, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (35 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast) sparked a late surge before sealing an epic Opening Night dub in double OT. | Recap
- The Takeover: After going 5-of-12 in the first three quarters, SGA caught fire to will his team back, pouring in 24 points in the 4th quarter and overtime
- The Winner: That included 7 of OKC’s 10 points in the second OT, capped by a pump-fake, pull-up combo to draw a foul and sink the game-winning free throws with two seconds left
- Special Streak: The performance marked Shai’s 73rd consecutive 20-piece, surpassing Kevin Durant and Michael Jordan for the fourth-longest streak all-time (more on both superstars below)
- Historic Marathon: The showdown was just the sixth Opening Night game in NBA history to go to double OT and the first in 20+ years to be decided by one point
Championship DNA: On a night that began with OKC’s championship banner ascending to the rafters, the Thunder closed with a reminder of how it got there – clamping down when it mattered most.
- Active Hands: The Thunder forced 21 turnovers – two shy of Houston’s 2024-25 season high – including 14 after the half
- “Grit, determination and defense,” said SGA on the keys to the win. “[It] gives us a chance any night – no matter what.”
- Early Ignition: Chet Holmgren added 28 points for OKC, with 18 coming in the 1st half after getting his hands on a special piece of history
- New Squad, Same KD: Kevin Durant turned in 23 points, 9 boards and 3 assists in his Rockets debut, while Sengun became the first player to post 35/5/5 on five 3s in a season opener
Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
NBC Shines: From Mike Tirico on the call to the echo of Roundball Rock, the network upped the electricity by bridging two eras – celebrating today’s stars while nodding to the legends who made the theme unforgettable.
- Cue The Music: “When I say, ‘the NBA on NBC,’ what memories come to mind?” Current stars gave their takes, before a certain six-time champion dropped in
- Insights To Excellence: After years out of the spotlight, Michael Jordan told Tirico why he’s joining the NBC crew – “to pay it forward.”
2. Dubs after dark: Warriors overcome Luka’s historic night
To close Opening Night, Steph said, “Night, night.”
Warriors 119, Lakers 109: In his first season opener with Los Angeles, Luka Dončić dazzled (43 pts, 12 reb, 9 ast), but it wasn’t enough to outshine the Dubs’ star duo, as Jimmy Butler III (31 pts, 4 ast) and Steph Curry (23 pts, 4 ast) stopped the Lakers’ late rally. | Recap
- Luka Magic: Dončić’s night started with nailing a 3/4-court heave in warmups. It ended with him joining Kobe Bryant (2007: 45 pts) and Elgin Baylor (1959: 52 pts) as the only players in Lakers history to drop 40+ in a season opener
- Jimmy Buckets: L.A. couldn’t contain Butler, who fueled a 20-5 run in the 3rd to seize control
- Then, Steph: After the Lakers cut the deficit to seven with a minute left, Curry delivered the dagger, splashing a ridiculous 35-foot triple to secure the dub in style
- Winning Ways: Draymond Green’s all-around night kept Golden State steady (8 pts, 7 reb, 9 ast, 2 blk), Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield added 17 points apiece, while Butler’s 31 is a personal high with the Dubs
- Warrior basketball took over,” said Curry on the Opening Night win. “It brings the best out of you when you get out here and the lights are the brightest.”
3. Tonight on ESPN: Flagg debuts vs. Wemby’s Spurs
The countdown formally began when they walked off the stage at Draft night. Little by little, anticipation has built for the stars of tomorrow to make their NBA debuts.
But in their minds, this moment has been in the making for even longer. They’ve spent years dreaming of being where they are now.
No more dreams. This is reality.
Tonight (9:30 ET, ESPN), a rising generation is on display, as Dallas’ Cooper Flagg meets San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama & Dylan Harper in a battle between this year’s top 2 picks, and two of the last three No. 1 picks.
- Ten Years Ago: Karl-Anthony Towns (No. 1) and D’Angelo Russell (No. 2) were the last top-two picks to debut against each other back in 2015
- Blue Bloods: Flagg, who averaged 10.7 ppg and 5.3 rpg in the preseason, is poised to play alongside Anthony Davis as a fellow former Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year
- Rookie Royalty: In his own preseason, Harper put up 8.7 ppg and 4.7 apg, and now takes the court with two past Kia Rookie of the Year winners in Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle
Tim Heitman + Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images
This matchup is teeming with talent. Six former top-five picks are involved — Flagg (2025), Harper (2025), Castle (2024), Wembanyama (2023), D’Angelo Russell (2015) and Davis (2012).
American Airlines Center, though, will also serve as a stage for one of the league’s bona fide game-breakers to do what he does best, now at full health.
- Wemby Returns: Wembanyama is back after missing 36 games in 2024-25 with deep vein thrombosis, and was a first-time All-Star with career highs of 24.3 ppg and 3.8 bpg
- Talk of the Town: Wemby’s set the NBA world abuzz (again) not only with his preseason play — the third-year center averaged 17 ppg, 8.8 rpg and 65.9 FG% in just 20.4 mpg as the Spurs went 5-0 — but for how he spent the offseason
- “I’m very, very excited of course,” Wembanyama said at Media Day. “I’ve missed the adrenaline, the stakes of the game… I’ve missed it more than anything else.”
4. Also on ESPN: East contenders collide at MSG
Jason Miller + Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
There’s no city quite like New York – the sights, the people, the history.
Madison Square Garden is its basketball cathedral. Some of the game’s greatest have written their legacies on its hallowed hardwood.
Tonight, it plays host to a pair of powerhouses, each of whom hopes tonight marks the start of something great
The Cavaliers visit the Knicks for a marquee season opener (7 ET, ESPN) with big expectations for 2025-26 accompanying both at tip-off. They were two of the last four squads standing in the East last season, and New York came within two wins of the NBA Finals
- Calm & Collected: Jalen Brunson is the defending Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year (5.6 clutch ppg), having guided the Knicks to their first East Finals berth since 2000
- Super Spida: On the opposite end will be Donovan Mitchell, fresh off an All-NBA First Team season in which Cleveland posted the second-best record (64-18) in franchise history
- Guards Galore: And those two talents aren’t the only guards of note – Darius Garland was also an All-Star in 2024-25 with 20.6 ppg and 6.7 apg on the East’s winningest team
A true battle of big men will feature in the festivities. Both New York and Cleveland sent their starting centers to last year’s All-Star Game.
- Bodega Boards: Karl-Anthony Towns made an immediate impact during Year 1 in the Big Apple, averaging a career-high 12.8 rpg to complement 24.4 ppg
- Mobley Movin’: Also perusing the paint will be the reigning Kia Defensive Player of the Year, Evan Mobley, who looks to start his 5th season with a bang
On the sidelines, two-time NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown will debut with the Knicks.
- First-Year Cooking: A new opportunity worked wonders for Kenny Atkinson in Cleveland last season (he was named Coach of the Year). How will Brown fare
5. Tonight on League Pass: Sixers-Celtics & 9 more matchups
Nothing says Opening Week like tapping into a NBA League Pass spread of 20 teams’ season openers.
Helping tip off the slate? A matchup between two East rivals with something to prove.
76ers at Celtics (7:30 ET): Joel Embiid returns from a knee injury as the Sixers eye a return to the Playoff mix. The new-look Celtics squad aims to remain a power in the East after losing superstar Jayson Tatum (Achilles) injury in the 2025 Conference Semifinals.
- Embiid’s Back: After playing in just 19 games last season, Joel made noise with a near triple-double in under 19 minutes in his preseason debut (14 pts, 7 reb, 8 ast, 3 stl)
- Scoring Share: Embiid won’t have to do it all alone, as Tyrese Maxey stepped up last season to lead Philly’s scoring (26.3 ppg) and assists (6.1 apg)
- Philly’s Rookie: Look for No. 3 pick VJ Edgecombe to debut in Philly’s starting five after an impressive preseason (16.7 ppg, 4.7 reb, 3.7 ast, 2 stl)
- A Little Green: The Celtics turn to Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and new acquisition Anfernee Simons to remedy losing three of five starters from last year
Jason Miller/NBAE via Getty Images
Nine more season openers tip off tonight on NBA League Pass, including a pair of matchups featuring some notable debuts.
Heat at Magic (7 ET): After meeting twice in the preseason (2-0 advantage: Orlando), these two neighbors are feeling familiar, even with some key new faces. The Magic made a win-now move to acquire Desmond Bane and his 41% 3-point shooting, while Miami welcomes Norman Powell fresh off a career-best 21.8 ppg in ’24-25.
Raptors at Hawks (7:30 ET): Expectations are up in Atlanta after it netted Kristaps Porziņģis and lockdown defender Nickeil Alexander-Walker in the offseason.
Though it missed the 2025 Playoffs, Toronto finished last season on a 22-21 run while awaiting the debut of trade deadline arrival Brandon Ingram. That day is finally here.
The night closes with a string of West duels, capped by Anthony Edwards’ Wolves beginning another Finals quest against the young, buzzy Blazers (10 ET).
- Nets at Hornets (7 ET)
- Pistons at Bulls (8 ET)
- Wizards at Bucks (8 ET)
- Pelicans at Grizzlies (8 ET)
- Clippers at Jazz (9 ET)
- Kings at Suns (10 ET)
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