The first week of the 2025-26 NBA season continues with just 2 games on Thursday night. It’s a double-header on ESPN, starting with the Thunder visiting the Pacers before the Warriors host the Nuggets. We have best bets for both must-see showdowns.
Make sure you also check out our NBA picks for every game tonight and throughout the 2025-2026 season.
NBA best bet: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Indiana Pacers Over 228.5 (-110)
Odds available at Bet365 Sportsbook at time of publishing
The defending NBA champions battled to a 125-124 double-overtime victory over Houston to tip off the NBA season on Tuesday. Despite shooting just 1-for-9 from 3-point range, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still scored 35 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Chet Holmgren delivered 28 points, while Alex Caruso, Aaron Wiggins and Ajay Mitchell chipped in a combined 34 off the bench. Clearly, this high-powered team has more than enough to make up for Jalen Williams’ current absence.
Despite having a day off, there could be some tired legs for the Thunder. They played a 2-overtime game and then had to travel for their first road trip of the season. Fatigue generally shows up on the defensive end of the floor, so don’t be surprised if the Pacers put up a decent number on the scoreboard – even with Tyrese Haliburton out for possibly the entire season. Head coach Rick Carlisle’s crew is still going to employ a run-and-gun style of play results in high-scoring affairs more of than not. Myles Turner’s departure for Milwaukee certainly doesn’t help the Pacers’ defense, either.
NBA best bet: Golden State Warriors ML over Denver Nuggets (+105)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing
The Warriors looked good in their season opener on Tuesday, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 119-109 at Crypto.com Arena. It is true that the Lakers were without LeBron James, but that’s still a solid road victory for Golden State. The visitors mostly cruised even though Stephen Curry finished with a modest 23 points, as Jimmy Butler delivered 31, Jonathan Kuminga added 17 and Buddy Hield contributed 17 off the bench. The Dubs were outstanding defensively, making 10 steals among their 19 forced turnovers and holding L.A. to a 25 percent effort from 3-point land.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets will play their first game of the 2025-26 campaign. In this case, less rest could be an advantage for the Warriors. They at least had 1 full day off in between games and travel from Los Angeles to the Bay Area is obviously minimal, plus they have momentum from Tuesday’s victory. Denver, on the other hand, could show some signs of rust – having not played meaningful basketball since Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals against Oklahoma City.
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