NBA opening night is Tuesday, October 20, and the league's opening-week announcement lists nine games in four nights, all on national television: a tripleheader on NBC and Peacock that night, doubleheaders on ESPN on Wednesday and Thursday, and a doubleheader on Prime Video on Friday. Tip-off times below are Eastern, with UK and CEST equivalents. The UK stays on summer time until October 25, so it is five hours ahead of ET and central Europe is six. For the rest of the calendar, from camp to the Play-In, see our 2026-27 NBA key dates guide.
NBA opening week schedule
Tuesday, October 20: NBA opening night (NBC and Peacock)
- Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons, 3 p.m. ET (20:00 UK, 21:00 CEST)
- Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks, 7 p.m. ET (00:00 UK, 01:00 CEST on Wednesday)
- Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs, 9:30 p.m. ET (02:30 UK, 03:30 CEST on Wednesday)
Wednesday, October 21 (ESPN)
- Minnesota Timberwolves at Miami Heat, 7:30 p.m. ET (00:30 UK, 01:30 CEST on Thursday)
- Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m. ET (03:00 UK, 04:00 CEST on Thursday)
Thursday, October 22 (ESPN)
- Cleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers, 7 p.m. ET (00:00 UK, 01:00 CEST on Friday)
- Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder, 9:30 p.m. ET (02:30 UK, 03:30 CEST on Friday)
Friday, October 23 (Prime Video)
- New York Knicks at Boston Celtics, 7 p.m. ET (00:00 UK, 01:00 CEST on Saturday)
- Houston Rockets v San Antonio Spurs in Austin, 9:30 p.m. ET (02:30 UK, 03:30 CEST on Saturday)
These are the nine games in the league's opening-week announcement, which lists none for Saturday, October 24 or Sunday, October 25. Rosters must be set by 5 p.m. ET on Monday, October 19. This guide will be updated if the league adds games or changes a time.
Which opening-week games matter most?
The Knicks raise their first championship banner since 1973 before Tuesday's game, then host the 76ers. Philadelphia has added LeBron James, who starts a record-extending 24th season, and Jaylen Brown from Boston. Earlier on Tuesday, Detroit, which finished first in the East at 60-22, hosts a Celtics side that went 56-26 and finished second.
The late game on Tuesday is a rematch of last season's Western Conference finals, which the Spurs won in seven games before losing the Finals to the Knicks.
Wednesday's second game brings Golden State to the Lakers without Kristaps Porziņģis, who is out indefinitely. Our Warriors report has the details.
Thursday is the 76ers' home opener. James and Brown make their home debuts against Cleveland, where James spent 11 of his first 23 seasons. The late game puts Nikola Jokić in Oklahoma City against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the winners of five of the last six MVP awards between them.
On Friday, the Knicks visit Boston, and the Rockets open their season against the Spurs at the Moody Center in Austin. It is a neutral-site game, with San Antonio listed as the host. Kevin Durant, who played one season at the University of Texas, faces the Spurs.
How to watch NBA opening night and the first week in the US
- Tuesday: NBC and Peacock
- Wednesday and Thursday: ESPN and the ESPN App
- Friday: Prime Video
All nine are national broadcasts, so none depends on a local channel.
How to watch the NBA in the UK and Europe
Prime Video shows the Friday doubleheader in the UK and Europe, with Knicks at Celtics at 00:00 UK time on Saturday and Rockets v Spurs at 02:30. Prime has announced 67 regular-season games for Europe this season, with more primetime games to follow.
Sky Sports holds the UK rights to the rest of the NBA schedule under an 11-year deal that began in 2025-26. We could not confirm which of the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday games Sky is showing, so check its listings before you set an alarm.
