2025-26 NBA Top 10 Schedule Worth Paying Attention

The two most important return games in the NBA regular season in the 2025-26 season will be held in the first week of November, with ESPN’s “NBA Today” program on Thursday unveiling most of the schedules for all 30 teams. The games worth watching are as follows:

Durant returns to Phoenix and Davis returns to Los Angeles

On November 24, Kevin Durant will return to Phoenix as a member of the Houston Rockets for the first time. Anthony Davis will return to Los Angeles with the Dallas Mavericks against the Lakers on November 28, a game that is part of the NBA Cup group stage.

Each team has currently identified 80 of the 82 games. Opening week and holiday games, as well as the NBA Cup group stage schedule, were announced earlier this week.

Durant will return to Phoenix, the city traded the star to Houston in June, a game that will air on NBC. Meanwhile, Davis was traded to Los Angeles in February, one of the most shocking deals in NBA history, and he will return to Los Angeles on Amazon Prime.

The Lakers and Mavericks will also play three more this season: January 24 in Dallas (8:30 pm ET, ABC), February 12 in Los Angeles and April 5 in Dallas.

The Lakers' New King's Anniversary Day at Madison Square

February 1, just the first anniversary of the Lakers' matchup against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, was soon after the game that Doncic's trade took place - both teams will face off at Madison Square Garden again on ABC. The Thunder will face the Rockets, and Durant will face the defending champion of the former boss

, Oklahoma City Thunder, and many of them will be held in the second half of the schedule. Durant and the Rockets will travel to Oklahoma City for the ring presentation on Opening Night (October 21), and Houston will return to Oklahoma City again on Feb. 7 (3:30 pm ET, ABC); and the Thunder will make their first trip to Houston on Jan. 15. The Thunder will play against the Minnesota Timberwolves for the first time on November 26 (7:30 pm EST, EST), their opponent in the Western Conference Finals last year, and they will face off again on March 15 (1 pm EST, EST, EST). They will travel to Minnesota twice on December 19 and January 29.

Active First and Second Man

Thunder star Shea Gilgers-Alexander (last year’s MVP) and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets) will all start in February – both players have the chance to compete for the MVP awards again at the end of the season. Denver will travel to Oklahoma City on Feb. 27 (9:30 pm EST, ESPN) and March 9, with the Nuggets hosting Oklahoma City on Feb. 1 and April 10.

Lakers Alexander MVP battle

This Thunder Nuggets is not the only potential MVP showdown at the end of the season. The Lakers and the Thunder will play twice in just a few days — April 2 in Oklahoma City and April 7 in Los Angeles.

Thunder continues to sweep the Eastern Conference Final 2

The Thunder will also play four matches with Eastern Conference favorites Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks at the end of the season - in Cleveland on January 19; in Oklahoma City on February 22 (1 p.m. ET, ABC) — and in Madison Square Garden on March 4 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN); and in Oklahoma City on March 29.

New York Mayor Trae Young challenged the Knicks

Knicks and the Cavaliers will face off in New York during the opening week (October 22, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN) and will again play on Christmas day (noon, ABC/ESPN), with the final showdown taking place on February 24 in Cleveland.

New York will also host the rising Atlanta Hawks and longtime Madison Square Garden "public enemy" Trae Young on January 2.

LeBron James' last appearance at Cleveland Stadium

Calligraphers will host LeBron James on January 28 (7 p.m. EST, ESPN), which may be his last game in Cleveland.