On October 20, the 2026-27 NBA season officially kicked off, sparking new rivalries, surprises, and new dreams for an NBA championship. The San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and defending champion New York Knicks are already competing for the top spot in the NBA Opening Week Rankings. But scores are provisional since many teams have played one game or haven’t started yet.
NBA Opening Week Rankings: Top Five Contenders
The NBA’s official Week 1 Power Rankings list San Antonio as the top team followed by Oklahoma City, New York, Philadelphia and Boston. The rankings are based on preseason expectations and not on actual season opening results.
NBA Opening Night Standings and Results
The Oklahoma City Thunder beat San Antonio 116-104 and the Philadelphia 76ers took down the defending champion New York Knicks 106-100. Detroit also defeated Boston, 121–113. These early results set up contrasting starts for teams that were predicted to play at the top of their conferences.
Biggest Surprises From the First NBA Games
A Philadelphia road victory over New York was a positive start and a Detroit win over Boston was a sign of promise. The Thunder also showed why they’re a major threat in the west with their win over No. 1 San Antonio.
Early Trends That Could Shape the Season
The first few weeks will be affected by the defensive consistency, the depth of the roster, and whether or not key players are available. The Spurs and Thunder are still the driving force of the Western Conference conversation, and the Philadelphia and Detroit teams may be competing for Eastern hope. However, it is one game at a time.
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