NBA Betting 25-26 Preview: The New NBA Season Kicks Off with Blockbuster Duels

The preseason is done and we’re finally in range of the new NBA season. The 25-26 season is exciting on all fronts, with rebuilt and retooled teams fighting for the trophy. The tone will be set by the opening night games, and the NBA did its job to woo the audience by picking the hottest teams around.

Two matchups are scheduled for tonight to open the new 2025-26 NBA season. With them come plenty of betting opportunities, including BetPlays odds on the potential title winners and individual award picks. But let’s not look that far. In this guide, we’ll cover the new NBA season opening night matches and share a few thoughts on who might win it all.

What’s New this NBA Season?

A few changes for the upcoming NBA season might make the games more interesting. The Heave rule is in effect from now on, where every shot 36 or more feet away in the first, second, and third quarters is a team shot instead of an individual one. A new high-five foul rule is introduced as well, promising to reduce a special type of contact during a player’s follow-through on a foul, which players have been vocal against earlier.

These changes might not have a drastic impact, but they proved a decent fix during the in-season tournament. Now that the schedule is almost underway, it’ll be interesting to see how it fits the league.

The most interesting part of every new NBA season are the roster changes. And there were quite a few this offseason and around the All Star Break last year. The most significant changes were made in a Phoenix Suns-Houston Rockets trade, which saw Kevin Durant land on the young Rockets. Jabari Parker Jr. went the other way, with a few other players involved.

The Rockets are playing the reigning champions Oklahoma City Thunder on opening night, and will be aiming high during the 2025-26 NBA season. With a young core of players and Durant to lead them, it’ll be an interesting team to watch.

Elsewhere, former champions Denver Nuggets have updated their second roster to get Nikola Jokic some help. Jokic will certainly be in MVP discussion this year, and he’s going to take all the help he can get to get the Nuggets back on the winning track.

This year will be Luka Doncic’s first full season with the Lakers, with Lebron James possibly playing his last. The Lakers open the new NBA season in an exciting match-up against the aging Warriors, who have brought in Al Horford as a reinforcement.

NBA Season Opening Night Betting Preview – Houston Rockets – Oklahoma City Thunder

Every new NBA season starts with a ring ceremony where last year’s champions get their rings. This year, it’s the OKC to get theirs. The young team won the title last year in dominating fashion, with no team having the answer to their tough defense and relentless offense. Led by reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder will be looking for a repeat this season.

The champions will be put through the wringer as early as the season opener when they play the Rockets. Houston is one of the hopefuls this year, going from a young team to a win-now roster with the addition of Kevin Durant. Fred Van Vleet will unfortunately be missing most of the season, but Houston has a solid core and a good coach name to aim high.

Durant, in addition to possible MVP candidate Alperen Sengun, may lead the Rockets to a brand-new era of winning basketball. The opening night matchup against the Thunder should show fans where the Rockets are, although there’s a full NBA season ahead for them to get everything right. You can place your wagers on the Rockets or the Thunder at BetPlays right now.

BetPlays Best Bet

• Thunder -7.5
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over 31.5
• Alperen Sengun over 6.5 assists

These three picks seem reasonable for the first matchup of the 2025-26 NBA season. Durant’s point performance might be a solid pick around the 20 mark. Houston’s moneyline NBA odds look appealing, but considering the fact the Thunder plays in front of a roaring home crowd and it’s still the same team as last year, it should be enough to beat the new-look Rockets.

NBA Season Opening Night Betting Preview – Golden State Warriors vs LA Lakers

The somewhat new-look Lakers will visit the Warriors in another enticing season opener. It’s a legacy match-up that sees the future in Luka Doncic as the league’s possible new face against stars on their way out in Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and more. The fact that the Warriors are aging doesn’t ruin the exciting match-up. We all know what Curry can do, and with Jimmy Butler in the fold and a few interesting young players, the Warriors will be up for a win.

To be honest, the Los Angeles Lakers are the most fun team to watch. They will start the season without Lebron James who’s dealing with sciatica. Luckily, the rest of the team is healthy, with Doncic in better physical shape than ever. New signings Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart should prove their worth after a few unimpressive years bouncing around the league.

The match-up is expected to feature playoff style intensity as both teams are looking to start in stellar fashion. Our pick would be prop bets as they offer better value than choosing the winner in this grind.

BetPlays Best Bet

• Ayton over 13.5 points against a Warriors team likely to play smaller lineups.
• Stephen Curry over 26.5 points
• Luka Doncic over 26.5 points

What to Watch: Storylines & Players to Watch

The upcoming NBA season may close the door on a few storylines from the past decade and more. Lebron James, Stephen Curry, and a range of other stars are in their last year, and for some, this will be the last season. They’re still among the top players to watch, as we all know how their quality raises the bar for everyone else.

Regardless, the main players to watch will be the young stars, namely Victor Wembanyama who’s coming after a long time off, Anthony Edwards, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Giannis Antetokounmpo is always in the spotlight, as are players who made a leap in recent years including Jalen Brunson.

Last season was a rollercoaster for many favorites, who were outed by teams such as the pesky Indiana Pacers. The Pacers are an interesting team to watch, but without Tyrese Haliburton who’s down to injury and Myles Turner who left Indiana for Milwaukee, the team might take a step back this season. The Knicks remain a top team in the East, and it’ll be interesting how a healthy 76ers team performs this season.

• A lot is expected out of top pick Cooper Flag, who’s a breakout candidate for Rookie of the Year. Flagg is a top NBA betting pick for the same reward, stepping ahead of the pack at least on paper.
• For the DPOY, Victor Wembanyama is in the lead. He should have enough in the tank ahead of Rudy Gobert, who’s won several of these awards in recent years.
• As for the main NBA champion favorite, the Thunder are expected to repeat. The Nuggets and Rockets are in that discussion, too. If Kyrie Irving returns and Anthony Davis is healthy all season and playing at his best, the Mavericks might be a dangerous team too.

An Exciting NBA 2025 season Ahead

The NBA opening night matchups are just the beginning of a very long season. With 82 matches for all teams and tight-knit rivalries, there will be plenty of exciting matches to watch. The 2025-26 NBA season betting markets are already up at BetPlays, with odds for the favorites, matchups, props, and more. Live NBA betting is live as well as soon as the matches begin.

We’ll cover the full NBA betting regular season and the playoffs and All Star weekend when the time comes. It’s time to place your bets on the top NBA teams and players and enjoy the BetPlays NBA action!