On Tuesday, Oct. 20, the New York Knicks will raise an NBA championship banner to the rafters of Madison Square Garden for the first time since 1973 as part of a first day of the season tripleheader on NBC and Peacock.
The 2026-27 NBA Schedule Release presented by Ticketmaster tipped off on Tuesday morning with marquee early-season games announced on NBC’s TODAY, ABC’s Good Morning America and CBS Mornings.
Tuesday, Oct. 20: Can’t-miss season-opening tripleheader on NBC/Peacock
• Boston at Detroit (3 p.m. ET): After finishing 1-2 in the East standings during the regular season, neither the Pistons (60-22) nor Celtics (56-26) reached the Eastern Conference Finals. Both teams shook up their rosters in the offseason as they look to make another run in a deep Eastern Conference.
• Philadelphia at New York (7 p.m. ET): The Knicks will receive their rings and raise their championship banner to commemorate the 2025-26 NBA title before welcoming the new-look 76ers to The Garden as this longtime rivalry begins a new chapter. Philly added 2024 champion and Finals MVP Jaylen Brown from Boston along with four-time MVP, four-time champ, four-time Finals MVP and 22-time All-Star LeBron James as he begins his record-extending 24th season.
• Oklahoma City at San Antonio (9:30 p.m. ET): In addition to finishing 1-2 in the West standings during the regular season, the Thunder and Spurs met in the Emirates NBA Cup Semifinals (a two-point Spurs win) and the Western Conference Finals (a 4-3 Spurs win). Between the regular season, NBA Cup and playoffs, these teams delivered 12 must-see matchups last season. This will be their first in 2026-27.
In addition to a stacked Opening Night slate, a pair of Opening Week ESPN doubleheaders were also announced on Tuesday morning, featuring star players in new cities and the winners of the last nine Kia NBA MVP awards.
Wednesday, Oct. 21: Opening Week doubleheader on ESPN
• Minnesota at Miami (7:30 p.m. ET): This game features two of the biggest names to change teams in the offseason, with Giannis Antetokounmpo making his Heat debut as Miami hosts Minnesota and new Timberwolves point guard LaMelo Ball.
• Golden State at Los Angeles Lakers (10 p.m. ET): Only two players averaged at least four 3-pointers made per game last season — Steph Curry (4.4) and Luka Dončić (4.0). These two sharpshooters open the season against one another in an all-California clash.
Thursday, Oct. 22: Opening Week doubleheader on ESPN
• Cleveland at Philadelphia (7 p.m. ET): When making his “last decision” in free agency, James considered signing with Cleveland and returning to where his NBA career began and won a title in 2016. However, in the end he chose to join the Sixers and will make his home debut in Philadelphia against the franchise where he spent 11 of his first 23 seasons. This also marks the home debut for Brown and Philly’s first in-person look at its new squad.
• Denver at Oklahoma City (9:30 p.m. ET): The winners of five of the last six Kia NBA MVPs will face off for the first time this season as reigning two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2025, 2026) and the Thunder host three-time MVP Nikola Jokić (2021, 2022, 2024) and the Nuggets. In addition to the MVP matchup, these teams have recent playoff history, with OKC defeating Denver in seven games in the 2025 West Semis.
Prime Video opens its second season of NBA coverage with a Friday doubleheader during Opening Week featuring a pair of classic rivalries.
Friday, Oct. 23: Opening Week doubleheader on Prime Video
• New York at Boston (7 p.m. ET): No two teams have faced each other more in the regular season than the Knicks and Celtics, with over 500 head-to-head matchups dating back to Dec. 7, 1946. Add in 15 playoff series, most recently in the 2025 Eastern Conference Semifinals, which the Knicks won in six games and saw Boston’s Jayson Tatum suffer an Achilles tear. With Tatum healthy, how will the Celtics match up with the defending champs?
• Houston at San Antonio (9:30 p.m. ET) in Austin: It’s a Texas-sized showdown as Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs host Kevin Durant and the Rockets in the nightcap. This neutral site match-up will take place in the city where Durant played college hoops for the University of Texas for a season 20 years ago in 2006-07. The Spurs won the season series 3-1 in 2025-26 after the Rockets had owned the previous two seasons with a 6-2 edge in head-to-head meetings. In 11 career games against Houston, Wembanyama has averaged just 19.1 points per game — his second-lowest average against any opponent. Will that trend continue, or is Wemby due for a breakout game against an in-state rival?
The holiday tradition of NBA basketball on Christmas Day continues with an action-packed five-game slate across ABC and ESPN.
This marks the 79th edition of the NBA on Christmas Day, which dates back to 1947 in the league’s second season, and the 19th straight year featuring five games and many of the league’s brightest stars.
Friday, Dec. 25: NBA on Christmas Day on ABC/ESPN
• San Antonio at New York (12 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN): What better way to tip off the holiday than with a rematch of the epic 2026 NBA Finals between Jalen Brunson’s Knicks and Wembanyama’s Spurs. The last time these two met at Madison Square Garden on June 10, OG Anunoby delivered a series-altering tip-in to cap off a historic Knicks comeback in Game 4 of the Finals — a shot that will be forever remembered in New York lore.
• Miami at Boston (2:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN): While some of the player names have changed, this long-time rivalry between the Heat and Celtics continues to burn bright. These franchises have already clashed four times in the playoffs in the 2020s. However, Boston has had the better of the recent regular-season matchups, winning 10 of the last 11 matchups over the last three seasons.
• Philadelphia at Los Angeles Lakers (5 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN): After spending eight seasons in Los Angeles, James returns to L.A. for the first time since leaving the Lakers to join the Sixers in free agency. This matchup also presents a chance at history. After becoming the first father-son duo to share the court together as teammates with L.A., LeBron and Bronny James can also be the first father and son to face each other in an NBA game.
• Oklahoma City at Minnesota (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN): Ball makes his NBA on Christmas Day debut as he, Anthony Edwards and the new-look Wolves host Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder. These teams split their season series 2-2 in 2025-26 after OKC had eliminated Minnesota 4-1 in the 2025 Western Conference Finals.
• Denver at Golden State (10:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN): The Christmas Day slate concludes with a matchup of two game-changers in NBA history. Curry ushered in the league’s 3-point revolution with his otherworldly deep shooting ability. Jokić redefined how a center can impact the game, becoming only the third player — and only non-guard — to average a triple-double in a season.
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