With the Denver Nuggets and the Indiana Pacers playing in their first matchups of the 2025-2026 NBA season, every team is on the board with at least one game played.
It’s been an eventful week with several overtimes and many impressive performances put together by some of the league’s biggest stars.
Through every opener, the league has seen multiple players grab a 40-piece in the scoring department.
Oct 22, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) looks to shoot Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) defends during the second half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Let’s highlight some of the biggest scoring performances through the first set of games.
Victor Wembanyama — 40 points
Heading into his third NBA season, Wembanyama started the year off with a bang. Not only did he go off for 40 points against the Dallas Mavericks, but the San Antonio Spurs’ big man put his stellar defense on display, and came down with 15 rebounds.
Analysts and fans are already talking about a potential MVP bid on the way for Wemby.
Tyrese Maxey — 40 points
Typically, Joel Embiid is the 76ers’ leading scorer when he’s healthy, but a rusty night on a minutes restriction called for another player to step up and put together a big scoring night. Against the Boston Celtics, Tyrese Maxey got the job done. The young guard is searching for his second All-Star nod this year.
Apr 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) controls the ball against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) during the first half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Anthony Edwards — 41 points
The former top pick has shown plenty of development through his first few NBA seasons. He started his career off as a high-flyer, but expanded his range with consistent three-point shooting last year. In his first game, Edwards knocked down five three-pointers. When it comes to young MVP hopefuls, Edwards is sometimes the forgotten one. He’s looking like a dark horse candidate so far.
Luka Doncic — 43 points
Without LeBron James on the floor, Luka’s usage will remain sky-high for the Lakers. He shot the ball at a high-level clip in his first action this year, averaging 63 percent from the field. Luka flirted with a triple-double by coming down with 12 rebounds and dishing out nine assists.
Aaron Gordon — 50 points
Ladies and gentlemen, your leader. Just as we all expected. Gordon’s not typically a high-volume scorer (17.6 is his career-best average in a season), but Thursday’s game was a masterclass put on by the forward, who couldn’t miss from three. He shot 17-21 from the field and went 10-11 from beyond the arc.
The @nuggets Aaron Gordon tonight became just the sixth player in NBA history to score 50 or more points in a regular-season opener.
Gordon and the Nuggets fell to Stephen Curry (42 points) and the Warriors 131-137 in overtime. pic.twitter.com/uExfFdfNBy
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) October 24, 2025Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
He was five points shy of a 40-point game against the Houston Rockets in the first game, but he cleared 50 in the Thunder’s overtime win over the Indiana Pacers.
Alperen Sengun
Here’s somebody who outshone the Kevin Durant debut for Houston. Sengun produced 39 points in his season debut for the Rockets this year.
VJ Edgecombe
He cracked 34 points, and it ended up being a historical night for the rookie. Who would’ve thought that on the night that included debuts for Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, and Ace Bailey, it would be Edgecombe to score nearly 40 points in his debut?
Want to read more about the daily ripple effects of the NBA? Make sure you bookmark Fastbreak on SI for the top hoops stories of the day from a league-wide scope.
The Latest on Fastbreak on SI