This year will be the NBA 80th season and it’s a very exciting one. Opening night will be on October 21st kicking off the season with some great match-ups. It should start the season with a bang because of the great match-ups they have set up for us.

The start of the season couldn’t have kicked off with a better match-up then the Oklahoma City Thunder vs the Houston Rockets. On one side the Oklahoma City Thunder (OKC) are coming off a championship run and a dominating MVP season from star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA). This year OKC fans have expectations for nothing lower than another championship run, and the organization couldn’t agree more. Extending players such as SGA, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams, with their contracts totaling $822 million dollars. After finishing with 52 wins and 30 losses the Rockets earned themselves a number two seed in the playoffs, but were unfortunately upset by the seven seed Golden State Warriors. After this upset the team felt a need for change in their roster. As a result on June 22, 2025, the Rockets traded 2 players and 6 draft picks to the Phoenix Suns for superstar Kevin Durant. This trade sets up an unknown future for the Rockets coming into the 2025-2026 season.

The other match-ups on opening night is the Los Angeles Lakers vs the Golden State Warriors. This match-up presents another exciting opportunity to watch a great game filled with many big names. If any team’s expectations are high it’s the Lakers. It seems like every year the Lakers are projected to win the championship, but is it more accurate this year? They have the high powered duo of Lebron James and Luka Doncic, and adding Deandre Ayton in free agency, it seems as if the sky is the limit. The Warriors are looking for a bounce back year filled with high expectations.

There is no certainty this year for the NBA. What teams will continue to dominate, or which surprise teams will arrive? What injuries or trades could alter a team’s projection, or what superstars might improve even more? All of these questions will start to be answered this opening night.