The NBA 2025-26 season is about to tip off! Will the dynamic Oklahoma City Thunder be able to make another run at the NBA Title for a repeat championship season? Or will the Indiana Pacers avenge their loss and secure the first title in their franchises’ history?
You can find out by watching NBA games every day, all season long. Here’s your guide to watching all of your favorite teams this season.
For fans who are serious about sports, and only sports, get a channel lineup packed with the games you want. And ESPN Unlimited is included on us! – only from DIRECTV. Try it for free!
When Does the 2025-26 NBA Season Start?
The 2025-26 NBA season starts on Oct. 21, 2025 with a double header on NBC and Peacock between the Houston Rockets and the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder at 7:30 p.m. ET and the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers at 10 p.m. ET.
The postseason is expected to start on April 18, 2026 and end in early-to-mid June 2026, with the NBA Final.
How to Watch NBA Games
NBA games in 2025-26 will be broadcast across a wide range of networks, channels and streaming services. National games will air on these channels and platforms throughout the week:
- Sunday: ABC, NBC and Peacock
- Monday: Peacock
- Tuesday: NBC and Peacock
- Wednesday: ESPN
- Thursday: Amazon Prime Video
- Friday: Amazon Prime Video and ESPN
- Saturday: Amazon Prime Video and ABC
With DIRECTV, It’s easy to sign up and stream today! Plus, access your favorite streaming apps all within your DIRECTV experience.
And here’s a watch guide organized by broadcaster or streaming platform:
Watch NBA via Broadcast
ESPN NBA Coverage
- Wednesday games
- Occasional Friday and other weekday games
- Final Sunday of the season doubleheader
- ABC/ESPN simulcast of Christmas Day games
ABC NBA Coverage
-
Major holiday and marquee games
NBC NBA Coverage
- NBA Season Opener double header
- Coast 2 Coast Tuesday double headers all season
- Sunday Night Basketball on eight Sundays from February until April
- Martin Luther King Day doubleheader and tripleheader
- All-Star Weekend (except for the Celebrity Game
NBA TV Coverage
-
Live games
Watch NBA via Streaming
Amazon Prime Video NBA Coverage
- Thursday night games from January to April, replacing NFL Thursday Night Football
- Friday night games
- Saturday afternoon games on select weekends
- Berlin & London Global Games
- NBA Cup Knockout Round
ESPN Streaming NBA Coverage
- ESPN Unlimited streams all ESPN-produced games
- ESPN and Disney+ simulcast some ABC/ESPN games
Peacock NBA Coverage
- Monday games
- Mexico City Global Game
- One Martin Luther King Day game
- Simulcasts all games aired on NBC
NBA League Pass NBA Coverage
- Out-of-market games
- Access to NBA TV
Here’s a look at all the networks you may need to watch NBA games this season:
- REGIONAL SPORTS LINEUP (only available in some areas)
- NBA TV HD
- TNT CHANNEL
- ESPN CHANNEL
- NBC Sports
- FOX SPORTS 1
- FOX Deportes
- CBS Sports
- ESPN Deportes
- NBA League Pass
- NBA Today
- NBA GameTime
You can watch NBA basketball every day of the season with DIRECTV! Don’t have DIRECTV yet? Sign up today.
NBA 2025-26 Full Schedule
Wondering which NBA games are on tonight? Find out when your favorite NBA teams are playing, see live scores, check out betting odds and more throughout the NBA regular season and into the NBA Finals.
Get even more courtside action with NBA League Pass.
NBA 2025-26 Season Key Dates
Opening Night – Oct. 21, 2025
The 2025-26 NBA Season officially tips off with a double header on NBC. It’ll be the Houston Rockets vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Golden State Warriors vs. the Los Angeles Lakers to usher in the new year of hoops.
Emirates NBA Cup (AKA In-Season Tournament) – Oct. 31, 2025
The Emirates NBA Cup, the NBA’s in-season tournament kicks off on Oct. 31. First held during the 2023-24 season, this multi-stage tournament functions like a soccer cup tournament, starting with a group stage followed by a knockout round. The winners get the trophy and a cash prize!
The schedule for the full tournament is:
- Group Round – Oct. 31-Nov. 28, 2025
- Semifinals – Dec.13, 2025
- Championship – Dec. 16, 2025
NBA Mexico City Game – Nov 1. 2025
The Detroit Pistons and the Dallas Mavericks will go head-to-head in the first international game of the season, just south of the border.
Christmas Day Games – Dec. 25, 2025
The NBA’s annual Christmas Day slate of games will tip off. Here are the matchups:
- New York Knicks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
- Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs
- Golden State Warriors vs. Dallas Mavericks
- Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets
- Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
NBA Berlin Games – Jan. 15, 2026
The second of the season’s international games will take place in Berlin, Germany. The Orlando Magic will play the Memphis Grizzlies.
NBA London Games – Jan. 18, 2026
The final international game will be held in London, U.K., also featuring the Magic vs. the Grizzlies.
NBA Rivals Week – Jan 20-24, 2026
Watch some of the fiercest NBA rivalries play out during NBA Rivals Week in January. This annual event matches up teams with the biggest feuds between them for a whole week, every year.
NBA All-Star Weekend – Feb. 13-15, 2026
The annual celebration of the most talented players the NBA has to offer, the All-Star Weekend, will be held from Feb.13-15, 2026.
NBA Teams
There are 30 NBA teams that make up the Eastern and Western Conferences of the NBA. They are split into six divisions: Atlantic, Central, Southeast, Northwest, Pacific and Southwest. Those are laid out below.
|
ATLANTIC |
NORTHWEST |
|
CENTRAL |
PACIFIC |
|
SOUTHWEST |
SOUTHEAST |
Who Won the NBA Final in 2025?
The Oklahoma City Thunder won the 2025 NBA Championship by overcoming the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Final. A win would have been a franchise-first championship for either team, but the Thunder were able to edge out the Pacers and claim the title.
Watch NBA on DIRECTV
You can catch every dribble, lay-up and slam dunk of the 2025-26 NBA season on DIRECTV. Get started today!
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