We’re arriving at the NBA’s regular-season midpoint, with every team soon crossing the 41-game mark. The Feb. 5 trade deadline looms, and the All-Star break is precisely one month from Tuesday. Fans and front offices alike are going to watch the forthcoming slates in higher resolution. There’s a strong set of national TV games upon us, including a hyped clash in the West, a maiden voyage to Germany and the start of ESPN’s NBA Friday window. Here’s what viewers should look forward to in the week ahead.
NBA national TV watch guide
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GameTime (ET)TVStream
Spurs at Thunder
8 p.m., Tue.
NBC, Peacock*
Peacock
Blazers at Warriors
11 p.m., Tue.
NBC, Peacock*
Peacock
Cavs at Sixers
7 p.m., Wed.
ESPN
Nuggets at Mavs
9:30 p.m., Wed.
ESPN
Grizzlies vs. Magic
2 p.m., Thu.
Prime Video
Thunder at Rockets
7:30 p.m., Thu.
Prime Video
Knicks at Warriors
10 p.m., Thu.
Prime Video
Cavs at Sixers
7 p.m., Fri.
ESPN
Wolves at Rockets
9:30 p.m., Fri.
ESPN
*Depending on local market
NBC is free over the air. ESPN also streams on ESPN Unlimited.
TuesdaySan Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder
A reason to watch: It’s basketball’s best rivalry right now. Oklahoma City opens the week atop the Western Conference and first in defensive rating. San Antonio is second in the conference with the third-rated defense, and it’s gone 3-for-3 against the defending champs this season.
Round I: The 111-109 NBA Cup semifinal sizzler that dissolved the Thunder’s 16-game win streak.
Round II: The Spurs’ statement in San Antonio, led by Victor Wembanyama off the bench and Keldon Johnson’s heat check.
Round III: The Christmas showcase on OKC’s floor, in which the next generation conjured pure ’90s Shaq.
OH MY WEMBY 😤
🌟 Vote #nbaallstar
📺 ABC/ESPN pic.twitter.com/GsWRiV8XXo
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 25, 2025
Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was his side’s leading scorer in all three games. The Thunder, who return home at 33-4 against the rest of the league, have a chance to perform kryptonite exorcism and reaffirm dominance. Wemby has been fully activated in these matchups. His budding back-and-forth with Chet Holmgren draws philosophical intrigue from its audience.
Spurs-Thunder is on the main NBC channel for Eastern, Central and select Mountain markets. It’s a Peacock streamer for those farther west.
Portland Trail Blazers at Golden State Warriors
A reason to watch: Styles make fights, and this is a true divide on the art of bucket-getting. Portland begins this week at No. 2 in drives per game and in second-chance scoring. The Blazers play big, with 6-foot-5 Shaedon Sharpe as their smallest regular starter and 7-foot-2 Donovan Clingan as a rebound machine. They’re 5-1 in January, with consecutive wins over the Rockets last Wednesday and Friday.
Golden State is No. 1 in made 3s and passes per game. Stephen Curry is still a rolling highlight at age 37. Blazers-Warriors is on NBC for Western and select Mountain markets, but a Peacock nightcap for folks out east.
WednesdayCleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers
A reason to watch: Two dynamic guards near the top of the scoring table. Through his first 36 games, Tyrese Maxey is averaging 30.9 points on clean shooting splits of 48/40.9/87.6. Donovan Mitchell is right behind him at 29.5 (49.2/38.6/84.2 as of Tuesday). Both have silky jumpers and smooth drop steps. Mitchell was lights out in the first head-to-head meeting, with 46 points on 21 shots and eight assists to two turnovers.
Denver Nuggets at Dallas Mavericks
A reason to watch: Denver’s determination. With the singular brilliance of Nikola Jokić on ice because of a knee injury, the Nuggets continue to succeed at the expense of respectable opponents. On Sunday, Tim Hardaway Jr. cooked up 25 points to best Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Milwaukee Bucks. Peyton Watson erupted for a road 30-piece to upset the Boston Celtics last Wednesday. And a surprise career outing for Jalen Pickett did an overtime rug pull against Joel Embiid’s Sixers on Jan. 5.
Denver now tests Cooper Flagg, who is revealing his pro powers in real time. Last Thursday, Flagg was two assists short of becoming the youngest triple-doubler ever.
ThursdayMemphis Grizzlies at Orlando Magic
A reason to watch: The NBA sends an inaugural regular-season game to Germany. Thursday’s historic action is at Uber Arena in Berlin. Moritz and Franz Wagner grew up in the city and play for the German national team. Wagner the Elder just returned to the floor Sunday night, after he tore his ACL 13 months ago. Wagner the Younger hasn’t suited up since Dec. 7 due to an ankle sprain, but he told reporters that he might be available for this homecoming.
Memphis is on Ja Morant trade watch, which brings extra intrigue to the broadcast. Another matchup between these two teams will follow Sunday in London.
Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets
A reason to watch: Good teams in need of a declarative W. OKC starts the week with the No. 1 net rating, while H-Town is at No. 2. But the Thunder look the slightest bit mortal of late — a blowout loss to the Charlotte Hornets and a recent 6-6 lull will do that.
The Rockets took those two Ls from the Blazers, plus a weird stumble Sunday into the Sacramento Kings misery pit. Rockets-Thunder was the season opener on Oct. 21, and it made for a double-OT thriller of the highest caliber:
New York Knicks at Golden State Warriors
A reason to watch: To see 3-balls flying from every which way. Curry is averaging exactly 12 3-point attempts through 30 games. That’s the highest mark in the league and second-highest of his career. Golden State is getting perimeter looks for its bigs as well. Since Dec. 1, Quinten Post has put up 5.3 treys per game, and Al Horford is at 4.7.
New York counters with the third-best team percentage from behind the arc. Four Knicks are averaging at least two made 3s so far. Jalen Brunson twitches, swishes and shines across prime-time stages. Mikal Bridges leads the NBA in total made corner 3s, while OG Anunoby is tied for fourth.
FridayCleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers
A reason to watch: Has a glitch been exposed? Our eyes do not deceive us … Cavs at Sixers is the ESPN listing for Wednesday and Friday. Maybe the sequel matches or even exceeds its source material. Maybe the first game has hidden truths and red herrings that are revealed in the second game.
Maybe Embiid plays heavy minutes in both. Philly’s superstar center logged five straight starts from Jan. 1-9, with 30 or more minutes in four of them, before he missed Sunday for knee injury management. He returned to the lineup Monday, playing 36 minutes. Cleveland’s inside duo of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen should be a worthy challenge for the two-time scoring champ.
Minnesota Timberwolves at Houston Rockets
A reason to watch: Anthony Edwards grew up in awe of Kevin Durant. Now, he gets to headline a broadcast with his “favorite player of all time.” Their teams have yet to face off this season, and the pairing should be a good one.
Entering the week, the Wolves and Rockets have identical 112.6 defensive ratings (tied for seventh). Houston’s fourth-rated offense has a slight edge over Minnesota at sixth, but the latter actually has a better true shooting percentage. At the core are two versatile lead options with icy instincts. Durant is about one made free throw away from a 50/40/90 campaign in season No. 18. Awe-inspiring, indeed.
Siri, play “made for this” by Gunna 😤 pic.twitter.com/TV4rRf9Lc9
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) January 6, 2026
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