<p>The preseason action is over; the long, arduous road to the NBA Finals now begins for the NBA’s 30 teams as Week 1 of the regular season is upon us.</p> <p>Teams will take to the courts across North America as they start their 82-game season in the hope of competing for the 2026 NBA Finals Championship.</p> <p>The Oklahoma City Thunder emerged as victors last year and lead the <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/basketball-us/nba-futures/nba-futures-2026-9324399">NBA Championship Winner betting odds</a>, but could another team beat them to it?</p> <h2>NBA Regular Season Week 1 Betting Preview</h2> <p>Matches will come thick and fast once the season gets underway on Wednesday, October 22, with a handful of games being played on this day before the rest of the league gets on with their own campaign.</p> <p>Below, we’ve highlighted the opening game for each team in the first week:</p> <ul> <li>Oklahoma City Thunder vs Houston Rockets (Wednesday, 09:30 AEST)</li> <li>Los Angeles Lakers vs Golden State Warriors (Wednesday, 12:00 AEST)</li> <li>New York Knicks vs Cleveland Cavaliers (Thursday, 09:00 AEST)</li> <li>Orlando Magic vs Miami Heat (Thursday, 09:00 AEST)</li> <li>Charlotte Hornets vs Brooklyn Nets (Thursday, 09:00 AEST)</li> <li>Atlanta Hawks vs Toronto Raptors (Thursday, 09:30 AEST)</li> <li>Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers (Thursday, 09:30 AEST)</li> <li>Memphis Grizzlies vs New Orleans Pelicans (Thursday, 10:00 AEST)</li> <li>Chicago Bulls vs Detroit Pistons (Thursday, 10:00 AEST)</li> <li>Milwaukee Bucks vs Washington Wizards (Thursday, 10:00 AEST)</li> <li>Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Clippers (Thursday, 11:00 AEST)</li> <li>Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio Spurs (Thursday, 11:30 AEST)</li> <li>Portland Trail Blazers vs Minnesota Timberwolves (Thursday, 12:00 AEST)</li> <li>Phoenix Suns vs Sacramento Kings (Thursday, 12:00 AEST)</li> <li>Indiana Pacers vs Oklahoma City Thunder (Friday, 09:30 AEST)</li> <li>Golden State Warriors vs Denver Nuggets (Friday, 12:00 AEST)</li> </ul> <h2>NBA Regular Season Week 1 Betting Predictions</h2> <p>Plenty of betting value can immediately be found across our dedicated <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/basketball-us/nba">NBA betting odds</a> page.</p> <p>We’ve listed our top predictions below:</p> <ul> <li><strong><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/basketball-us/nba/houston-rockets-at-oklahoma-city-thunder-9613962">OKC vs Rockets</a></strong> - Value is possible in the ‘Thunder -7.5’ handicap market; games are often tight between these two. OKC are heavy favourites and have managed to beat their opponents by margins greater than 10 points.</li> <li><strong><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/basketball-us/nba/golden-state-warriors-at-los-angeles-lakers-9614128">Lakers vs GSW</a></strong> - GSW are favourites and should overcome LA; things should stay close as recent matches have been competitive, but back GSW for the moneyline win and to cover the spread. Lakers to be without LeBron James, but the points total should still be ‘Over’ the 223.5 total.</li> <li><strong><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/basketball-us/nba/miami-heat-at-orlando-magic-9614131">Heat vs Magic</a></strong> - The Heat have been poor in preseason, losing twice to the Magic. However, they had a 2-2 record during the last regular season. There’s value in backing the Heat to win as big underdogs. Tyler Herro is out for around two months, but Andrew Wiggins and Bam Adebayo will need to step up in his absence.</li> </ul>