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The NBA is set to start the 2025-26 season tonight with a pair of primetime Western Conference battles featuring the Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the Houston Rockets, before the Golden State Warriors battle the Los Angeles Lakers in the late-night window. Fans are expected to flock back to Madison Square Garden tomorrow night as the New York Knicks host the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7 p.m. ET to begin the 2025-26 NBA season. The Brooklyn Nets start their campaign on the road with a duel against the Charlotte Hornets in North Carolina with tip-off scheduled for the same time. Knicks with Fifth-Best Championship Odds After a sour six-game series loss to the Indiana Pacers ended their 2024-25 season, the Knicks are ready to return to the hardwood ahead of a brand new campaign in 2025-26. Head Coach Mike Brown replaced Tom Thibodeau over the summer to give the Knickers a new voice to lead a talented roster headlined by Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges. New York finished 51-31 in 2024-25, and there is no reason to believe the Knicks shouldn’t flirt with the 50+ win mark again this season. Sportradar, an industry-leading sports technology company and official partner of the NBA, completed 50,000 AI-driven simulations of the 2025-26 season. Those results placed the Knicks as one of the top four teams in the Eastern Conference. Injuries to star players, such as Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton and Boston Celtics Jayson Tatum, were included in the data sets to provide an accurate simulation of the 2025-26 campaign. New York was given a 7.0% chance to claim the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy, which ranks second to only the Cleveland Cavaliers (9.4% chance) in the East. The Knicks and Thunder were the second most-likely NBA Finals matchup (7.5%) trailing a final series between Oklahoma City and Cleveland (9.2%). The Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, and Philadelphia 76ers loom as biggest threats along the Eastern seaboard. Atlanta owns the highest probability to return to the postseason play (75.1%) after missing out in 2024-25, followed by Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks (60.3%) and a potentially healthy 76ers squad (70%). Odds to Win the 2025-26 NBA Finals (as of 10/21/2025) Oklahoma City Thunder +200 Denver Nuggets +650 Cleveland Cavaliers +700 New York Knicks +1200 Los Angeles Clippers +1700 Brooklyn Nets +100000 Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook Odds are subject to change The Oklahoma City Thunder, the 2025 NBA Champions, hold the highest probability to win the 2026 NBA Championship with a 27.3% win rate in simulations. The Denver Nuggets (10.3%) and Houston Rockets (8.3%) own the highest potential to disrupt the repeat title bid by Oklahoma City. The Los Angeles Lakers were selected as the fourth best team in the West, but didn’t appear to reach the Finals consistently enough to warrant a specific mention by Sportradar in a loaded Western Conference. Better Days Ahead for Brooklyn It really wasn’t all that long ago the Nets were major contenders in the Eastern Conference. As life goes, things didn’t work out with the roster construction and change roared its way through the Barclays Center. Nets fans understand another 26-win effort won’t make the playoffs. The major offseason change was the addition of Michael Porter Jr. from Denver (in exchange for Cam Johnson) to pair with Nic Claxton and Terance Mann. Can the former NBA Champion show a young team how to win and potentially disrupt the scene in the East? The numerous simulations do not trust the Nets to have a successful campaign in 2025-26. Brooklyn finished with a .361 regular-season winning percentage and a 19.7% chance to join the postseason party. The Nets ended the 2024-25 season with a 26-56 record, representing a 32% win rate. Therefore, an uptick to just a 36% success rate in 2025-26 will not be anywhere good enough to make a playoff push. Brooklyn will need to defy the expectations to return postseason basketball to Barclays Center. Sports betting content is for entertainment purposes only. Gambling carries financial risk. Only wager what you can afford to lose and ensure you meet legal age restrictions and location requirements. If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to 1-877-846-7369 or TEXT 467369 (HOPENY).
