With the 2025/26 NBA season about to tip off, Stuff365 picks out five embarrassing NBA opening night blowouts from recent years.
For scale, nothing in modern memory touches Portland’s 124–76 demolition of Phoenix in 2017, the biggest season-opening margin in NBA history.
That 48-point avalanche technically fell on night two, yet it remains the gold standard for domination.
Intriguingly, three teams – the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, and Golden State Warriors – appear twice across these five blowouts.
Will we see another when the Oklahoma City Thunder face the Houston Rockets, or when the Los Angeles Lakers tangle with the Golden State Warriors on October 22?
These five NBA opening night blowouts show how quickly months of optimism can go up in flames in just 48 minutes.
Cleveland Cavaliers 117–88 New York Knicks (October 25, 2016)
Ring night in Cleveland turned into a rout before the banners even settled. The Cavaliers opened their title defence by dismantling the Knicks 117–88, treating the home crowd to a reminder of the gulf between a champion and a pretender.
LeBron James flirted with a triple-double, Kyrie Irving poured in 29 points, and the defence squeezed New York out of every rhythm.
The Cavaliers led by 20 midway through the third and coasted through the final stretch with starters smiling on the bench.
Cleveland’s spacing and tempo shredded New York’s new-look lineup, which was still adjusting to Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah.
San Antonio Spurs 129–100 Golden State Warriors (October 25, 2016)
Just hours after Cleveland’s ring night, the Spurs spoiled another celebration in California. Golden State’s debut of Kevin Durant was billed as a glimpse of offensive perfection, but San Antonio turned it into a statement win.
Kawhi Leonard’s 35 points set the tone, blending relentless defense with ruthless efficiency at the rim. LaMarcus Aldridge added 26, and San Antonio led by 18 at halftime, never looking threatened.
The Warriors, fresh off a record 73-win season, looked disjointed and soft on the boards as the Spurs collected 21 second-chance points.
Gregg Popovich’s rotation rolled like a machine, exploiting every defensive mismatch. It proved to be the kind of early lesson Golden State needed.
Brooklyn Nets 125–99 Golden State Warriors (December 22, 2020)
The 2020–21 season began in eerie silence, with empty seats and masked benches, yet Brooklyn’s new era started with a roar. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving made their long-awaited pairing official by dismantling the Warriors 125–99 on opening night.
Durant scored 22 in his first game back from an Achilles tear, looking every bit his old self as Brooklyn sprinted to a 21-point first-quarter lead.
Kyrie added 26, Joe Harris drilled open looks, and the Nets’ ball movement left Golden State scrambling.
Steve Nash’s debut as head coach couldn’t have gone smoother. His team shot 45% from deep, moved the ball with freedom, and coasted to a 26-point victory that doubled as a statement of intent.
Milwaukee Bucks 127–104 Brooklyn Nets (October 19, 2021)
Milwaukee’s championship banner rose to the rafters, and the Bucks celebrated the only way champions should — by dismantling a rival.
Their 127–104 win over the Brooklyn Nets was as comprehensive as it looked, a ring-night reminder that Giannis Antetokounmpo’s dominance carried straight into the new season.
The Finals MVP dropped 32 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists in just 31 minutes, bullying his way through Brooklyn’s defence.
Khris Middleton and Pat Connaughton added five threes each as Milwaukee stretched the floor and won nearly every hustle metric. The Nets, still adjusting to life without Kyrie Irving, never found a rhythm or a defensive answer inside.
Boston Celtics 132–109 New York Knicks (October 22, 2024)
A year ago, opening night turned into a shooting clinic at TD Garden. The Celtics rained 29 threes, tying an NBA record, while blowing out the Knicks 132–109 to open their 2024–25 campaign. It was ruthless, efficient, and over by the third quarter.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 56 points, both scoring at will as Boston’s offence hummed from the start.
Every lineup clicked, every rotation looked polished, and the Knicks had no answer for the perimeter barrage. Even Payton Pritchard joined the fun, hitting five threes off the bench as the crowd roared with disbelief.
For the Knicks, another night in this rivalry ended the way too many do, with the scoreboard lopsided and their fans silenced.
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