Former Kentucky Wildcats dominate NBA’s schedule sneak peek

The full NBA 2025-26 schedule will be released on Thursday, but this morning, we got some morsels to whet our appetite. The league revealed a handful of marquee games on Good Morning America and the TODAY Show. As you might expect, plenty of Kentucky Wildcats are included.

Let’s start with opening night, Tuesday, October 21. Four Cats will be featured on a doubleheader on NBC and Peacock as part of the return of NBA on NBC. Reed Sheppard‘s Houston Rockets will face reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, and the defending World Champion Oklahoma City Thunder at 7:30 p.m. ET, a game that will also feature the Thunder’s ring ceremony. In the nightcap, the Golden State Warriors will play Jarred Vanderbilt‘s Los Angeles Lakers.

The next night on ESPN, Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks will host the Cleveland Cavaliers, which will be followed by a quartet of Cats in the Spurs (De’Aaron Fox, Keldon Johnson) at the Dallas Mavericks (Anthony Davis, PJ Washington), which will also be Cooper Flagg’s NBA debut. On Thursday, the Thunder will face Isaiah Jackson and the Indiana Pacers. Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets will play Golden State in the nightcap.

This season, Peacock will stream up to three NBA games nationwide on Monday nights. That tips off with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons, and the Denver Nuggets (Jamal Murray) and the Minnesota Timberwolves (Rob Dillingham, Julius Randle). A dozen Wildcats will play across five games on Christmas, all broadcast on ABC. A few weeks later, eight will play across the four games on Martin Luther King Day (Monday, Jan. 19). The first of those, Milwaukee at Atlanta, will stream on Peacock. The remaining three will also air on NBC.

Again, we’ll get the full schedule on Thursday. Until then, enjoy some delightful nostalgia with NBA Jam and Roundball Rock.

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NBA Opening Week Doubleheaders

Tuesday, Oct. 21 (NBC/Peacock)

• 7:30 p.m. ET: Houston Rockets (Reed Sheppard) at OKC Thunder (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace)
• 10:00 p.m. ET: Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers (Jarred Vanderbilt)

Wednesday, Oct. 22 (ESPN)

• 7:00 p.m. ET: Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks (Karl-Anthony Towns)
• 9:30 p.m. ET: San Antonio Spurs (De’Aaron Fox, Keldon Johnson) at Dallas Mavericks (Anthony Davis, PJ Washington)

Thursday, Oct. 23 (ESPN)

• 7:30 p.m. ET: OKC Thunder (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace) at Indiana Pacers (Isaiah Jackson)
• 10:00 p.m. ET: Denver Nuggets (Jamal Murray) at Golden State Warriors

Five games on Christmas on ABC/ESPN

• 12:00 p.m. ET: Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks (Karl-Anthony Towns)
• 2:30 p.m. ET: San Antonio Spurs (De’Aaron Fox, Keldon Johnson) at OKC Thunder (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace)
• 5:00 p.m. ET: Dallas Mavericks (Anthony Davis, PJ Washington) at Golden State Warriors
• 8:00 p.m. ET: Houston Rockets (Reed Sheppard) at Los Angeles Lakers (Jarred Vanderbilt)
• 10:30 p.m. ET: Minnesota Timberwolves (Rob Dillingham, Julius Randle) at Denver Nuggets (Jamal Murray)

Four games on MLK Day on NBC/Peacock

• 1:00 p.m. ET: Milwaukee Bucks (Chris Livingston) at Atlanta Hawks (Jacob Toppin)
• 2:30 p.m. ET: OKC Thunder (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace) at Cleveland Cavaliers
• 5:00 p.m. ET: Dallas Mavericks (Anthony Davis, PJ Washington) at NY Knicks (Karl-Anthony Towns)
• 8:00 p.m. ET: Boston Celtics (Amari Williams) at Detroit Pistons

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