NBA Opening Night Schedule: Complete List of Games and Matchups for the Season Start
As I sit down to analyze this year's NBA opening night schedule, I can't help but feel that familiar surge of excitement that comes every October. Having followed the league for over fifteen years, I've witnessed countless season openers, but this year's lineup feels particularly special with some genuinely intriguing matchups that should set the tone for the entire season. The opening night doubleheader on October 24th features two games that couldn't be more different in narrative yet equally compelling. First up, the Los Angeles Lakers host the Golden State Warriors at 7:30 PM ET in what promises to be another chapter in the LeBron James versus Stephen Curry saga. Then at 10:00 PM ET, the Phoenix Suns visit the Denver Nuggets in a Western Conference showdown that could very well be a playoff preview.
What makes opening night particularly fascinating to me isn't just the star power on display, but the underlying stories of players returning from injury and how teams have reshaped their rosters during the offseason. I've always believed that the first game tells you more about a team's character than any preseason prediction. The Lakers-Warriors matchup, for instance, isn't just about two future Hall of Famers adding another entry to their rivalry—it's about how both teams have addressed their depth issues and whether their offseason moves will pay immediate dividends. The Warriors especially interest me this year, as they've made some under-the-radar acquisitions that could significantly impact their bench production.
The second game between the Suns and Nuggets represents what I consider the new wave of NBA basketball—teams built around multiple stars rather than just one or two superstars. Phoenix's trio of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal will test Denver's championship-caliber defense in ways that should make for spectacular television. Having watched Nikola Jokić evolve from a second-round pick to a two-time MVP, I'm genuinely curious to see how the Nuggets will handle the offensive firepower coming at them. My prediction? This game goes down to the wire, with the final possession deciding the outcome.
Thinking about these players taking the court reminds me of something that always strikes me about professional athletes—their incredible capacity to perform through pain and injury. I recall reading about Justin Brownlee's remarkable performance despite dealing with what appeared to be a significant injury, and it made me appreciate just how much these athletes push through physical limitations that would sideline most people. Cone's reaction to Brownlee's ability to deliver under those circumstances—that sense of awe—is something we often take for granted when watching these incredible athletes. It puts into perspective what we're about to witness on opening night: not just basketball, but the culmination of months of rehabilitation, training, and sheer determination.
The scheduling itself reveals some interesting priorities from the league office. By featuring four Western Conference teams, the NBA is clearly banking on the continued dominance of the West, which has produced three of the last five champions. Personally, I would have liked to see at least one Eastern Conference team featured, particularly the Milwaukee Bucks or Boston Celtics, both of whom made significant roster moves this offseason. That said, I understand the appeal of showcasing the Lakers and Warriors, two franchises that drive television ratings like no others. Last season's opening night games averaged approximately 3.2 million viewers across TNT and ESPN, and I wouldn't be surprised if this year's matchups surpass those numbers.
What many casual fans don't realize is how much strategy goes into these early season games. Coaches are still experimenting with rotations, players are working their way into game shape, and the intensity, while high, doesn't quite reach playoff levels. Yet these games matter more than people think—they set psychological markers for the season ahead. A win against a conference rival in Game 1 can provide confidence that carries through until April. I've seen teams use opening night victories as springboards to surprising seasons, while others never quite recover from early setbacks.
As someone who's attended multiple opening night games, I can attest to the electric atmosphere in the arenas. There's a palpable sense of possibility that you simply don't get at any other point in the season. Every team is undefeated, every fan base has hope, and every player believes this could be their year. That collective optimism creates an environment unlike any other in sports. The energy translates through television screens too, which is why I always recommend even casual basketball fans tune into these initial games—they capture the essence of what makes the NBA so compelling.
Looking beyond the star-studded matchups, I'm particularly interested in how the role players perform. Championship teams aren't built on superstars alone—they require contributions from the entire roster. Players like Austin Reaves for the Lakers or Michael Porter Jr. for the Nuggets could easily be the difference-makers in these opening contests. Having watched countless players evolve from complementary pieces to essential components, I've come to appreciate how these early games often reveal which role players have taken leaps in their development during the offseason.
The injury management aspect fascinates me as well. With teams being increasingly cautious about player health, it wouldn't surprise me if we see some strategic resting even this early in the season, particularly for players coming off summer international competitions. The NBA's new player participation policy adds another layer of intrigue, as teams must now balance competitive desires with league mandates about star availability. It's a delicate dance that front offices and coaching staffs navigate throughout the season, beginning with these initial games.
As tip-off approaches, I find myself reflecting on how opening night has evolved over the years. The spectacle has grown exponentially, with pregame ceremonies becoming nearly as elaborate as the All-Star Game presentations. Yet at its core, the appeal remains the same: the return of basketball after the long offseason. For diehard fans like myself, it's like Christmas in October—the gift of NBA basketball unwrapping itself across our screens for the next eight months. The specific matchups matter, of course, but what we're really celebrating is the simple return of the game we love.
In the end, opening night serves as both culmination and commencement—the end of speculation and rumors, and the beginning of the real journey toward the Larry O'Brien Trophy. The stories that emerge from these initial games will shape narratives for months to come, and while it's dangerous to draw sweeping conclusions from single performances, the impressions formed on this night will linger throughout the season. So mark your calendars, set your reminders, and prepare for what promises to be another unforgettable start to the NBA season. However the games unfold, one thing's certain: basketball is back, and for that alone, we all win.
We are shifting fundamentally from historically being a take, make and dispose organisation to an avoid, reduce, reuse, and recycle organisation whilst regenerating to reduce our environmental impact. We see significant potential in this space for our operations and for our industry, not only to reduce waste and improve resource use efficiency, but to transform our view of the finite resources in our care.
Looking to the Future
By 2022, we will establish a pilot for circularity at our Goonoo feedlot that builds on our current initiatives in water, manure and local sourcing. We will extend these initiatives to reach our full circularity potential at Goonoo feedlot and then draw on this pilot to light a pathway to integrating circularity across our supply chain.
The quality of our product and ongoing health of our business is intrinsically linked to healthy and functioning ecosystems. We recognise our potential to play our part in reversing the decline in biodiversity, building soil health and protecting key ecosystems in our care. This theme extends on the core initiatives and practices already embedded in our business including our sustainable stocking strategy and our long-standing best practice Rangelands Management program, to a more a holistic approach to our landscape.
We are the custodians of a significant natural asset that extends across 6.4 million hectares in some of the most remote parts of Australia. Building a strong foundation of condition assessment will be fundamental to mapping out a successful pathway to improving the health of the landscape and to drive growth in the value of our Natural Capital.
Our Commitment
We will work with Accounting for Nature to develop a scientifically robust and certifiable framework to measure and report on the condition of natural capital, including biodiversity, across AACo’s assets by 2023. We will apply that framework to baseline priority assets by 2024.
Looking to the Future
By 2030 we will improve landscape and soil health by increasing the percentage of our estate achieving greater than 50% persistent groundcover with regional targets of:
– Savannah and Tropics – 90% of land achieving >50% cover
– Sub-tropics – 80% of land achieving >50% perennial cover
– Grasslands – 80% of land achieving >50% cover
– Desert country – 60% of land achieving >50% cover
