Tipping Off
- Jace Wright
- Oct 24
- 3 min read
The Start of the 2025-26 NBA Season
It is that time of year again for the start of the National Basketball Association (NBA) season. The start of the NBA season will begin on Tuesday, Oct. 21, with a double header. The Houston Rockets will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Oklahoma City at 7:30 p.m. for the very first game of the NBA season. The Thunder are favored in this matchup as 7.5 point favorites. Right after the conclusion of that game, another one will begin. The second game will be between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers in Los Angeles at 10:00 p.m. The Warriors are the favorites to win this game as they are 1.5 point favorites against the Lakers.
The beginning of the NBA season means looking at which teams have the best shot to win it all come June 2026. Currently, the Thunder have the best odds to win the NBA Finals at +245. The Thunder won it all last season and they are returning almost their entire roster from last year’s championship team, which is why they sit on top with the best odds to win back to back NBA championships. Behind the Thunder are the Denver Nuggets, who have the second best odds at +650. Last year, the Nuggets were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves. This year they look to accomplish what they did just two years prior, becoming NBA champions. To help reach this goal, the Nuggets reinforced their roster with the signing of Cam Thomas and veterans Bruce Brown, Jonas Valaciunas and Tim Hardaway Jr during the offseason. The Cleveland Cavaliers have the third highest odds to win the Finals at +800. The Cavaliers have high odds because they play in a relatively weak Eastern Conference. However, they have not proved that they are Finals worthy, as they have only won two playoff series in the last three years and have not made their conference finals in that three year span. The Cavaliers hope to erase that doubt this year with a NBA Finals victory.
As NBA Finals favorites are discussed, so too are MVP favorites. The player with the best odds to win MVP is the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at +160. Gilgeous-Alexander took home the MVP last year and is looking to do it again this year. Gilgeous-Alexander is in his prime and is very capable of repeating what he accomplished last year: scoring title, all-star, first team all-NBA, Finals MVP and champion. This is why he sits as the MVP favorite to start the NBA season. Right behind Gilgeous-Alexander is Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets at +300 odds. Jokic has either won MVP or was the runner up in his last five NBA seasons. Jokic is also in his prime, as he was top three in scoring, rebounds and assists last season. His consistency and durability is why he is capable of winning his fourth MVP this season. The player with the third best odds is Luka Doncic of the Lakers at +400. Doncic is looking to win his first MVP and he has the skill to do it. His immense skill on offense and improvement on the defensive side is why he is a heavy favorite to be crowned MVP this season.
The NBA season comes highly anticipated this season for basketball fans around the world. Only time will tell who comes out on top of the NBA Finals and MVP races.
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