NBA Calendar 2025/26: The Anticipated Returns of Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis
We already know a large part of the NBA schedule and the days when some former players will visit the courts of their former teams
The NBA has unveiled most of the schedule for the 2025-26 regular season, revealing that two of the most anticipated games due to the return of major figures will be played just four days apart in November. On the 24th of that month, Kevin Durant will return to Phoenix for the first time as a member of the Houston Rockets, after being traded in June. A few days later, on November 28, Anthony Davis will come back to LA wearing the Dallas Mavericks jersey to face the Los Angeles Lakers in a game corresponding to the group stage of the NBA Cup, a match that will also feature Luka Doncic.
Each team already knows 80 of the 82 games they will play in the regular season. The matchups for the first week, special dates, and the tournament's group stage had been previously announced. This schedule also reflects the NBA's new television partnerships with NBC/Comcast and Amazon, as part of an 11-year contract in addition to the existing agreement with ESPN/ABC, which will continue to broadcast the NBA Finals. Kevin Durant's return to Phoenix will be televised by NBC, while Davis' return to Los Angeles will be broadcast on Amazon Prime.
The Lakers and Mavericks will face each other three more times: on January 24 in Dallas (ABC), February 12 in Los Angeles, and April 5 back in Dallas. Additionally, on February 1, a curious coincidence will be repeated: exactly one year after the duel between the Lakers and Knicks at Madison Square Garden that preceded the trade of Luka Doncic, they will face each other again in the same venue, with the game broadcast on ABC.
The reigning champion, Oklahoma City Thunder, will also have several high-profile games, especially in the second half of the season. On the opening night of October 21, the Rockets will visit Oklahoma City for the ring ceremony, with Durant as the main character. Houston will return to that city on February 7, while the Thunder will play their only game in Houston on January 15.
The rivalry with the Minnesota Timberwolves, last season's Western Conference finalists, will kick off on November 26 in Oklahoma City and continue with another match on March 15 in the same venue. The encounters in Minnesota will take place on December 19 and January 29.
The four clashes between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP, and Nikola Jokic, the three-time award winner, will occur from February onwards, with two games in Oklahoma City (February 27 and March 9) and two in Denver (February 1 and April 10). Another matchup with an impact on the MVP race will be the double confrontation between the Lakers and Thunder at the beginning of April.
Oklahoma City will also have notable games against Cleveland and New York. Against the Cavaliers, they will play on January 19 in Cleveland and on February 22 at home; against the Knicks, on March 4 at Madison Square Garden and on March 29 as hosts. The Knicks and Cavaliers will meet on October 22, December 25, and February 24.
Among other significant returns, Myles Turner will go back to Indiana with the Bucks on November 3; Brook Lopez, from the Clippers, will visit Milwaukee on March 29; Desmond Bane will return to Memphis with Orlando on January 18; and Boston will host Jrue Holiday with Portland on January 26 and Kristaps Porzingis with Atlanta on the 28th of the same month.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Calendario NBA 2025/26: Los morbosos regresos de Kevin Durant y Anthony Davis
