At long last, most of the 2025-26 NBA regular season schedule is known.
All 30 teams know 80 of their 82 games, with the two exceptions being the contests played after the conclusion of the NBA Cup group stage. During that “open” week, all teams are guaranteed two games, and the two teams that reach the NBA Cup final will play a third game that does not count toward official league records/stats or fantasy basketball results.
Because of the uncertainty caused by the NBA Cup, Yahoo! leagues will once again feature two “combo” weeks, one of which will bookend All-Star Weekend.
Below is a breakdown of the 2025-26 regular season schedule from a fantasy standpoint.
2020 NBA Finals schedule
NBA returns to NBC, debuts on Peacock: Check out the full slate of more than 100 games
NBC will showcase opening night, and there also will be Sunday Night Basketball, Peacock NBA Monday and Coast 2 Coast Tuesday.
Five teams will play a league-high 16 back-to-backs
Charlotte, Denver, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington are scheduled to play 16 back-to-backs, which is especially notable for the 76ers. Not only did the team’s “big three” of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George all see their 2024-25 seasons end prematurely due to injury, but so did guard Jared McCain. In Embiid’s case, 76ers head coach Nick Nurse said Thursday that he was unsure if the center would be a full go when training camp opens in late September. Injury management days can significantly impact fantasy basketball, and one would assume that there may be a few of those days in the cards for Embiid, given his injury history.
The Hornets will play five back-to-back games in October and November, beginning with games against Philadelphia and Washington on October 25-26. Will LaMelo Ball, who has not hit 50 games played since the 2021-22 season, be allowed to play back-to-backs immediately, or will the Hornets look to manage his workload early on? Charlotte added Collin Sexton via trade and re-signed Tre Mann, two players who will be of added interest in fantasy leagues if Ball is not playing back-to-backs immediately.
However, there is a silver lining in the 76ers’ scheduling “cloud.”
According to Positive Residual’s scheduling data, the 76ers are one of three teams with 14 games in which they’ll have the advantage from a rest standpoint, with Utah and Sacramento being the others. Toronto and Detroit will have the rest advantage for 13 games. On the other side of the coin are the Warriors, who have 14 games in which they’ll be at a disadvantage regarding rest. Eight teams, including the 76ers, Timberwolves, and Nuggets, will be at a disadvantage for 12 games.
The Golden State Warriors and the LA Clippers are among the teams that will play 15 back-to-backs
The Warriors and Clippers have two of the older cores in the NBA, with the latter being the oldest based on average age. The good news for Los Angeles is that Kawhi Leonard has been able to focus on sharpening his skills this summer instead of recovering from another injury. Will that impact his usage once the regular season begins, or will he and the Clippers continue prioritizing him being fresh for the postseason? Similar questions can be asked of James Harden and Chris Paul, even if they don’t have the same injury concerns as Leonard.
Golden State will have Jimmy Butler on board from the start, which should help from a chemistry standpoint. However, he, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are all 35 or older heading into the 2025-26 season. And this doesn’t consider the expected addition of Al Horford, as the 39-year-old has to wait for the Warriors to reach a solution with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga (De’Anthony Melton is also on hold). Miami and Portland are also scheduled to play 15 back-to-backs, two teams that don’t hold the same age concerns as the Warriors and Clippers.
NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder at Phoenix Suns
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The must watch games start opening night between the Thunder and Rockets on NBC and Peacock.
Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Indiana, Minnesota and Oklahoma City play a league-low 13 back-to-backs
This group includes the reigning champs, two expected contenders in Houston and Minnesota, a Hawks team that hopes to work its way into the mix, and the Celtics and Pacers, who appear to be headed for a “bridge year” with Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton recovering from Achilles tendon tears. The Hawks and Rockets will get some help schedule-wise, as they’re working in Kristaps Porzingis and Kevin Durant, respectively. Both players have struggled with injuries in recent seasons, but KD did play 62 games for the Suns last season (and 75 the year prior).
The two “double weeks” are December 8-21 and February 9-22.
In Yahoo! public leagues, there are two instances in which two game weeks will count as one from a scoring standpoint. The first occurs in December due to the need to finalize schedules after NBA Cup group play concludes. For the first part of that “week,” only two games will count for each team, including the two that reach the NBA Cup final. Once again, that game will not count toward official records, stats or fantasy scoring. The other double week sandwiches the All-Star break, with All-Star Weekend scheduled for February 13-15 in Los Angeles. Among the teams that will play a back-to-back immediately out of the break are Atlanta, Cleveland, Denver and LA Clippers.
Five teams have a five-game week, including the Lakers and 76ers.
The Lakers (Week 13), Heat (Week 14), 76ers (Week 21), Suns and Wizards (Week 22) all have a week in which they’re scheduled to play five games. The latter three teams stand to impact fantasy basketball the most, as weeks 21 and 22 will likely be playoff weeks for many leagues. Philadelphia will be a team of interest due to the injury history of the team’s star players, most notably Embiid and George. The Lakers’ five-game week concludes on January 18 with a home game against the Raptors before the team embarks on an eight-game road trip. Miami will be on a five-game road trip out west when it plays its “loaded” week, beginning with a January 19-20 back-to-back against the Warriors and Kings.
If, for some reason, your league includes April’s entire schedule, the Knicks and Trail Blazers are the teams to avoid.
Twenty-eight of the 30 teams will play either six or seven games in April, but the Knicks and Trail Blazers only play five. Given how many teams have handled their rosters in recent seasons, there’s no need for a fantasy league to include April. But, in case your league does, New York and Portland’s role players are at a disadvantage due to the schedule. Also of note for April is that the entire league will play on April 10 and 12, the final two game days of the regular season. Games on Sunday, April 12 will begin at either 6 pm Eastern (seven Eastern Conference matchups) or 8:30 pm Eastern (seven Western Conference games and one interconference matchup).
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