2025-26 NBA Season Tips Off in Unforgettable Fashion
Image courtesy of NBA.com.
By Sam Bergstrom
After only three days of hoops, we have already witnessed thrilling finishes, record-breaking performances, and ridiculous highlights around the National Basketball Association (NBA). Let’s break down some of the craziest games so far in the 2025-26 NBA season that have kept fans on the edge of their seats.
This article is accurate as of October 23, 2025.
On Tuesday, the NBA season kicked off with the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, unveiling their championship banner, and the players receiving their shiny championship rings. This ceremony was held before their season-opening matchup against the Houston Rockets. This game turned into pure chaos during crunch time. With Houston up 104-102 in the final seconds, OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander calmly came down the court and sank a stepback midrange shot over Amen Thompson, sending the game to overtime. With the score tied at 115-115, Houston’s Kevin Durant grabbed a rebound off an airballed shot and called a timeout with one second remaining. Since the Rockets had no remaining timeouts, this should have resulted in a technical foul and a free throw for OKC, potentially sealing the game. However, the referees did not acknowledge Durant’s timeout call, so the game dragged into double overtime. Gilgeous-Alexander showed up big once again, drawing a shooting foul on Durant and hitting two crucial free throws to put the Thunder up by one with 2.3 seconds left in the game. Thanks to SGA’s clutch 35-point performance, OKC scraped by with a 125-124 win, picking up right where they left off last season.
On Wednesday, NBA fans were treated to 12 new matchups. This exciting slate kicked off with the New York Knicks hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers—two teams widely considered among the serious contenders in the East. Both teams were without key players, but New York-Cleveland remained exciting nonetheless. Last year, New York ranked last in the league for average bench points, but Mike Brown is looking to change that in his first year as Knicks head coach. The Knicks’ bench scored 35 points, which is 13 more than they averaged last season. In a balanced team effort, New York edged by with a 119-111 win over Cleveland.
In another battle of Eastern Conference clubs, the Philadelphia 76ers visited Boston for a matchup with the Celtics. Sixers All-Star Tyrese Maxey poured in 40 points while hitting 7 three-pointers, and rookie 3rd overall pick V.J. Edgecombe tallied 34 points of his own. Edgecombe made history, scoring the third-most points ever by a player in their NBA debut. Boston failed to convert on two game-winning attempts in the final seven seconds of the game, and Philadelphia escaped with a 117-116 victory.
Shortly after Edgecombe’s performance, the #1 overall pick in the 2025 draft, Cooper Flagg, made his much-anticipated NBA debut against the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs spoiled the Mavericks’ night, with Victor Wembanyama going off for 40 points and snatching 15 rebounds. In classic Wemby fashion, he gave the Mavericks buckets in an array of ways that no one would expect a 7-foot-4 human to pull off. San Antonio’s Dylan Harper also made his NBA debut, scoring 15 points off the bench. San Antonio blew out Dallas 125-92, and Flagg was held to only 10 points on 4-13 shooting from the field.
In one of Wednesday’s more surprising outcomes, the Utah Jazz dismantled the Los Angeles Clippers in Salt Lake City. Last year, LA won 33 more games than Utah, but they simply couldn’t disrupt the Jazz’s rhythm. In their 129-108 outing, Utah shot an efficient 55.2% from the field, and three Jazz players scored 20 points. Center Walker Kessler shot a perfect 7-7 from the field while also blocking four shots. LA’s big three of Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Bradley Beal all had games to forget, raising the question of whether the Clippers are too old to be true contenders in the West.
On Thursday, NBA fans were treated to an insanely fun brand of hoops. In a 2025 Finals rematch, the Oklahoma City Thunder faced off against the Indiana Pacers. Even though Indiana was without Tyrese Haliburton, they still put up an unbelievable fight, with Bennedict Mathurin and Pascal Siakam combining for 68 points. At the end of regulation, Siakam hit a tough snatch back jumper on Chet Holmgren to send the game to overtime. During the final 30 seconds of overtime, Team Canada teammates Mathurin and Gilgeous-Alexander traded clutch buckets, and the game would head to a second overtime. OKC finally put Indiana away, and SGA showed why he is the reigning MVP. Gilgeous-Alexander cashed in a career-high 55 points and knocked down 23 free throws while doing so. In an exhausting, hard-fought contest, OKC outlasted Indiana with a 141-135 victory. The Thunder made history in becoming the first team to play—and also win—two double overtime games to start a season.
The action did not stop here, as the Denver Nuggets faced off with the Golden State Warriors for a late-night thriller. Denver’s Aaron Gordon was scorching hot throughout this game, scoring a career high 50 points while hitting 10 three-pointers. Despite Gordon’s valiant effort, Stephen Curry and the Warriors simply refused to lose. With 21.4 seconds left in regulation, Curry hit a cold-blooded triple from just below the logo, sending the game into—yep, you guessed it—another overtime. After trading baskets in OT, Golden State would pull away in the final minute with a 137-131 win. Curry lit it up with 42 points, six rebounds, and seven assists, hitting the Nuggets with his signature night-night celebration.
