WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21 🎟️ Wolves-Heat - 7:30 PM ET 🎟️ Warriors-Lakers - 10 PM ET THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22 🎟️ Cavs-76ers - Via @espn on X

What happened: Minnesota-Miami tips at 7:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, followed by Golden State-Los Angeles at 10 p.m. Cleveland-Philadelphia opens Thursday at 7 p.m., with Denver-Oklahoma City at 9:30 p.m.

Why it matters: ESPN gets two games on each night, pairing an early Eastern window with a late Western matchup. The four-game slate brings eight teams into national windows during opening week.

By the numbers: Four games involve eight teams across two nights. Each doubleheader's start times are separated by 2½ hours.

What to watch: The Wednesday doubleheader arrives first, with Thursday completing ESPN's opening-week slate.

Sources

  • @espn