5 must-watch Nets games on 2025-26 schedule

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5 must-watch Nets games on 2025-26 schedule

Erik Slater · ClutchPoints

Fri, Aug 15, 2025 ·

2 min read

Wed, Oct. 22 @Hornets

Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

The Nets open their season on the road at Spectrum Center, where rookies Egor Demin , Nolan Traore, Drake Powell , Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf could make their NBA debuts. If all five play, it will mark the first time five rookie first-round picks have appeared in a game for the same team. How Demin handles the workload as Brooklyn's projected starting point guard and how Jordi Fernandez crafts the rotation will be the main storylines to monitor.

The game could also have implications in the tank race down the line, as the Hornets project to be a lottery team again this season.

Sun, Nov. 9 @Knicks

The first installment of this year's crosstown rivalry and the Nets rookie's first trip to Madison Square Garden. Brooklyn has lost 10 straight matchups with New York. Can the new-look squad snap the losing streak and secure a win against Jalen Brunson , Karl-Anthony Towns and former Nets star Mikal Bridges ?

Two matchups with Jazz (Dec. 4, Jan. 30)

This year's tank race should be as heated as last season's. Darryn Peterson, A.J. Dybansta and Cam Boozer headline a star-studded 2026 draft class. Several matchups throughout the year will have significant implications in the tank race.

The Nets' pair of meetings with the Jazz will be among the most notable. Utah finished with the NBA's worst record last season and does not project to be much better this year. Will Hardy's squad is the only team with a lower win projection (18.5) than Brooklyn.

Four matchups with Wizards (Nov. 16, Jan. 2, Feb. 7, Apr. 5)

Brooklyn's four matchups with Washington will also have significant tank implications. The Wizards finished with the NBA's second-worst record last season. They are tied with the Nets for the NBA's second-lowest win projection (20.5) for 2025-26.

However, the Wizards' roster features promising young pieces in Alex Sarr , Tre Johnson , Bub Carrington and Bilal Coulibaly . They also traded for veterans CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton , as well as a talented young scorer in Cam Whitmore .

Two matchups with Nuggets (Jan. 4, Jan. 29)

The Nets will face off with the Nuggets during a pair of matchups after they traded Cam Johnson for Michael Porter Jr . and an unprotected 2032 first-round pick. Johnson will return to Barclays Center on Jan. 4, while Porter Jr. will face his former team for the first time. Porter Jr. will return to Denver on Jan. 29, where he should receive a warm reception from Nuggets fans.