Twenty-four teams are in action in the NBA tonight!
Follow along with the NBA.com live blog, as we’ll bring you the top moments, performances, observations, news, notes and highlights from around the NBA.
What we know about Wednesday night’s games
- Our ESPN doubleheader features Cavaliers-Knicks (7 ET) and Mavericks-Spurs (9:30 ET), as No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg makes his NBA debut against No. 2 selection Dylan Harper.
- Victor Wembanyama, recovered from a blood clot issue, is back and ready to enter year three with passion.
- Joel Embiid and Ja Morant are expected to play for the 76ers and Grizzlies, respectively, against the Celtics and Pelicans. Jaylen Brown will play for Boston.
- Giannis Antentokoumpo is probable to play for the Bucks, who are taking on the Wizards.
- Karl-Anthony Towns is questionable for the Knicks.
5:15 PM / OCTOBER 22, 2025
A Flagg rises in Dallas
Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 pick in the Class of 2025, has been looming on the horizon of the NBA since he was barely in high school.
He was the Maine Gatorade Player of the Year as a high school freshman in 2021, then transferred to Monteverde Academy, winning 2022 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year and 2024 National High School Player of the Year.
He showed out against the USA Basketball Select Team as a 17-year-old, holding his own against NBA talent, and electrified Rucker Park with a game-tying buzzer-beater.
“He’s a special young man,” said Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley, who coached the select team, at the time. “His talent level, his basketball IQ, his level of toughness, not afraid of those moments, protect the rim, make the right play, make the right read. He had all that.”
Flagg went on to play for a year at Duke, earning ACC Rookie of the Year, ACC All-Defensive Team and National College Player of the Year, before coming to Dallas and building a connection with fellow former No. 1 picks Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving.
He’s made plays throughout the preseason, flashing the offensive and defensive versatility that makes him a special prospect.
Coach Jason Kidd has trusted him with the ball; he’s expected to start at point guard tonight for the Mavericks, facing No. 2 pick Dylan Harper, his top competition on the initial Kia Rookie Ladder for the season, and the San Antonio Spurs.
Tonight, a special NBA journey begins. What will Flagg do as he steps into the fray against the best players in the world?
Cooper Flagg had it from the FIRST DAY of training camp.
Watch his NBA debut tonight!
MAVS/SPURS • 9:30pm/et • ESPN pic.twitter.com/Kj7ibtVli1
— NBA (@NBA) October 22, 2025
5:00 PM / OCTOBER 22, 2025
The season begins in earnest
We’ve got 12 games on tap tonight in the National Basketball Association!
The schedule includes a battle between the beasts projected to stand at the top of the East in the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks (7 ET, ESPN), the debut of No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg with the Dallas Mavericks against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs (9:30 ET, ESPN) and a series of battles between traditional rivals, including 76ers-Celtics, Pistons-Bulls and Heat-Magic.
We’ll have all the top highlights and updates, making sure you’re getting all the best the NBA has to offer.
Check out the complete schedule and get excited for tonight’s action!
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