First, on October 21, the Rockets will travel to Oklahoma City to face what is likely to be one of their biggest competitors this year in the defending champion Thunder. This is likely to be the early game, as the second Opening Night game is between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors in L.A.

Opening Night of the 2025-26 NBA season will reportedly feature multiple matchups between Western Conference teams looking to return to the playoffs.

Two of the biggest days of the year in the NBA regular season are opening night and Christmas Day, and Friday we learned the matchups we will see on both nights, courtesy of ESPN's Shams Charania.  The NBA will send the new-look Rockets,