The NBA released portions of the 2026-27 regular-season schedule, and we have a bit of a twist for Opening Night on Tuesday, Oct. 20, in that it technically will be Opening Day with a tripleheader on NBC. The league opted for a matinee to tip things off between the Celtics and Pistons from Detroit with a 3 p.m. ET tip, followed by the usual prime-time doubleheader, which this year features 76ers at Knicks and Thunder at Spurs. Bet on the NBA and more at BetMGM, where new users can get up to $1,500 in bonus bets:
The early game was a major surprise, because the NBA usually only has that opening doubleheader at night and doesn’t schedule weekday matinees outside of those played internationally or on a holiday such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Boston and Detroit finished 1-2 in the Eastern Conference regular-season standings in 2025-26, but both disappointed in the playoffs.
The Pistons opened at -2.5 for this matchup but still have to sign All-NBA center Jalen Duren, a restricted free agent. The Celtics of course shocked the world this offseason by shipping All-NBA forward Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia for Paul George and draft picks – which proved to be a massive pivot point deal in the entire league. Detroit won three of four last year vs. Boston.
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Meanwhile, the defending champion Knicks will get their rings and raise a title banner 53 years in the making to the Madison Square Garden rafters ahead of a 7 p.m. ET tip against LeBron James, Brown and the new-look Sixers. New York is a +330 favorite to repeat as Eastern Conference champion with Philly right behind at +350, but the Sixers have been taking by far the most action at BetMGM to do so since the LeBron deal, dropping from +750.
A few weeks ago, I wrote in this space that James’ first game with his new club was heavily favored to be in New York, so this isn’t a surprise whatsoever. But James, set for his record-extending 24th season, as an Opening Night underdog is a bit unusual, with Philly at +3.5. The Knicks embarrassed the Sixers with a sweep in the 2026 East semifinals. The last reigning NBA champion to lose its opener the following season was LeBron’s 2020-21 Lakers.Â
Note that Philadelphia’s home opener is Oct. 22 against Cleveland, which by many accounts finished runner-up in the LeBron Decision 2.0 sweepstakes. And also to no shock, the Sixers visit the Lakers on Christmas Day, with Los Angeles opening at -1.5. James has played 20 career games on Christmas, most in league history, and is 11-9 in those 20 – the wins are a record. We might get to see LeBron face off with his son Bronny, a seldom-used Lakers reserve.
San Antonio is -1.5 for the Oct. 20 home opener against Oklahoma City in a rematch of their epic Western Conference Finals, won by the Spurs in seven. Actually, between the playoffs, regular season and NBA Cup, the rivals met a total of 12 times last season. Bet on NBA futures with the Caesars Sportsbook promo code and double your winnings on 10 bets:
Two openers have been confirmed on Wednesday, Oct. 21: Timberwolves at Heat (-3.5) and Warriors at Lakers (-5.5). Three of those four clubs hoped to lure LeBron. Miami did trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Minnesota dealt for LaMelo Ball.
The Spurs will visit the Knicks to open the five-game Christmas slate at noon ET with New York at -1.5 in an NBA Finals rematch. I mentioned Sixers-Lakers, and that tips at 5 p.m. ET. The other holiday games are Heat-Celtics (-5.5), Thunder-Timberwolves (+3.5) and Nuggets-Warriors (+2.5). Miami has the best record of any NBA team on Christmas overall at 12-2. Minnesota will host a Christmas game for the first time.Â
The NBA Cup schedule will be released Wednesday, with that championship game moving from Las Vegas to historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, and the full regular-season slate Thursday.