The 2026–27 NBA regular season will begin on Tuesday, 20 October, with three games launching the new campaign.
Boston Celtics visit Detroit Pistons in the opening fixture at 8pm UK time. The teams occupied the top two positions in the Eastern Conference last season, giving the new campaign an immediate meeting between two of the conference’s leading sides.
The defending champion New York Knicks will then raise their championship banner before hosting the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden. That game is scheduled to begin at midnight in the UK.
Opening night concludes with Oklahoma City Thunder visiting San Antonio Spurs at 2.30am. It is a rematch of last season’s Western Conference Finals, which San Antonio won in seven games.
The NBA has scheduled nine nationally televised games across the opening four days. Other fixtures include Golden State Warriors visiting the Los Angeles Lakers on 21 October and Denver Nuggets travelling to Oklahoma City the following night.
Teams must finalise their opening-day rosters by 19 October, one day before the regular season begins. The NBA Cup will follow shortly afterwards, with group play starting on 30 October.
Source: NBA 2026–27 key dates and opening schedule