Where is NBA Opening Night played?

Opening Night is a three-game NBC and Peacock slate. Boston visits Detroit at Little Caesars Arena (3:00 PM ET), Philadelphia visits the defending champion New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden (7:00 PM ET), and Oklahoma City visits San Antonio at Frost Bank Center (9:30 PM ET).

Who are the defending NBA champions?

The New York Knicks are the defending champions. They raise a championship banner at Madison Square Garden on Opening Night, their first title banner at the Garden since 1973.

How many teams and games are in the 2026-27 season?

All 30 NBA teams play an 82-game schedule, which is 1,230 regular-season games. Each club has its own home arena across the United States and Canada.

How is the NBA season structured?

Teams are split into the Eastern and Western Conferences. After the 82-game regular season, the play-in tournament sets the final playoff seeds, then four rounds of best-of-seven series decide the champion.

How can I watch the 2026-27 NBA season?

National broadcasts run on NBC, Peacock, ESPN, ABC, and Prime Video, alongside each team’s local sports network. Opening Night and Opening Week games are on NBC, Peacock, ESPN, and Prime Video.

Which arenas host the first week?

Little Caesars Arena, Madison Square Garden, and Frost Bank Center host Opening Night. Later in the week, games are scheduled at arenas including Kaseya Center, Crypto.com Arena, Xfinity Mobile Arena, Paycom Center, and Moody Center in Austin for a Spurs-Rockets neutral-site game.

BASKETBALL · NBA

NBA 2026-27 Season

Oct 20, 2026 – Apr 11, 2027·30 arenas · USA & Canada

1,230

REGULAR SEASON GAMES

TEAMS

HOME ARENAS

NEXT GAMETue, Oct 20 · 3:00 PM ET

BOS

Little Caesars Arena, Detroit

DET

00DAYS

00HRS

00MIN

00SEC

Tuesday, Oct 20, 2026

Opening Night grounds

NBC and Peacock open the 81st season at three arenas.

3:00 PM ETNBC / Peacock

Boston CelticsatDetroit Pistons

Little Caesars Arena

Detroit · Season tip-off

7:00 PM ETNBC / Peacock

Philadelphia 76ersatNew York Knicks

Madison Square Garden

New York · Championship banner

9:30 PM ETNBC / Peacock

Oklahoma City ThunderatSan Antonio Spurs

Frost Bank Center

San Antonio · West finals rematch

Fixtures

All scores

Little Caesars Arena, DetroitUpcoming

BOS

DET

Tue, Oct 20 · 3:00 PM ET

NBC / Peacock

Madison Square Garden, New YorkUpcoming

PHI

NYK

Tue, Oct 20 · 7:00 PM ET

NBC / Peacock

Frost Bank Center, San AntonioUpcoming

OKC

SAS

Tue, Oct 20 · 9:30 PM ET

NBC / Peacock

Kaseya Center, MiamiUpcoming

MIN

MIA

Wed, Oct 21 · 7:30 PM ET

ESPN

Crypto.com Arena, Los AngelesUpcoming

GSW

LAL

Wed, Oct 21 · 10:00 PM ET

ESPN

Xfinity Mobile Arena, PhiladelphiaUpcoming

CLE

PHI

Thu, Oct 22 · 7:00 PM ET

ESPN

Paycom Center, Oklahoma CityUpcoming

DEN

OKC

Thu, Oct 22 · 9:30 PM ET

ESPN

TD Garden, BostonUpcoming

NYK

BOS

Fri, Oct 23 · 7:00 PM ET

Prime Video

Moody Center, AustinUpcoming

HOU

SAS

Fri, Oct 23 · 9:30 PM ET

Prime Video

NBA 2026-27 schedule

American Express NBA Tip-Off runs October 20–23. The regular season ends Sunday, April 11, 2027, with all 30 teams in action.

Tue, Oct 20

3:00 PM
ET · NBC / Peacock
BOSatDET
Little Caesars Arena, Detroit · Season tip-off
7:00 PM
ET · NBC / Peacock
PHIatNYK
Madison Square Garden, New York · Championship banner
9:30 PM
ET · NBC / Peacock
OKCatSAS
Frost Bank Center, San Antonio · West finals rematch

Wed, Oct 21

7:30 PM
ET · ESPN
MINatMIA
Kaseya Center, Miami · Giannis Heat debut
10:00 PM
ET · ESPN
GSWatLAL
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles

Thu, Oct 22

7:00 PM
ET · ESPN
CLEatPHI
Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia · LeBron home debut
9:30 PM
ET · ESPN
DENatOKC
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City

Fri, Oct 23

7:00 PM
ET · Prime Video
NYKatBOS
TD Garden, Boston
9:30 PM
ET · Prime Video
HOUatSAS
Moody Center, Austin · Neutral site

2026-27

Season snapshot

Defending champion

New York Knicks

Tip-off: Oct 20
Season ends: Apr 11
Games: 82
Teams: 30

Standings open after Opening Night. This page lists the published tip-off slate until the feed is live.

Roll of Honour

Recent NBA champions. The Knicks defend the title they won in 2026.

This season

2027

This season

Champion TBD

2026

Defending champs

New York Knicks

2025

NBA Finals

Oklahoma City Thunder

2024

NBA Finals

Boston Celtics

2023

NBA Finals

Denver Nuggets

2022

NBA Finals

Golden State Warriors

2021

NBA Finals

Milwaukee Bucks

2020

NBA Finals

Los Angeles Lakers

2019

NBA Finals

Toronto Raptors

2018

NBA Finals

Golden State Warriors

NBA teams 2026-27

All 30 clubs, split by conference, with each home arena.

30 teams

Eastern Conference

New York KnicksMadison Square Garden, New YorkNYK
Detroit PistonsLittle Caesars Arena, DetroitDET
Boston CelticsTD Garden, BostonBOS
Brooklyn NetsBarclays Center, BrooklynBKN
Philadelphia 76ersXfinity Mobile Arena, PhiladelphiaPHI
Toronto RaptorsScotiabank Arena, TorontoTOR
Chicago BullsUnited Center, ChicagoCHI
Cleveland CavaliersRocket Arena, ClevelandCLE
Indiana PacersGainbridge Fieldhouse, IndianapolisIND
Milwaukee BucksFiserv Forum, MilwaukeeMIL
Atlanta HawksState Farm Arena, AtlantaATL
Charlotte HornetsSpectrum Center, CharlotteCHA
Miami HeatKaseya Center, MiamiMIA
Orlando MagicKia Center, OrlandoORL
Washington WizardsCapital One Arena, WashingtonWAS

Western Conference

San Antonio SpursFrost Bank Center, San AntonioSAS
Denver NuggetsBall Arena, DenverDEN
Minnesota TimberwolvesTarget Center, MinneapolisMIN
Oklahoma City ThunderPaycom Center, Oklahoma CityOKC
Portland Trail BlazersModa Center, PortlandPOR
Utah JazzDelta Center, Salt Lake CityUTA
Golden State WarriorsChase Center, San FranciscoGSW
LA ClippersIntuit Dome, InglewoodLAC
Los Angeles LakersCrypto.com Arena, Los AngelesLAL
Phoenix SunsMortgage Matchup Center, PhoenixPHX
Sacramento KingsGolden 1 Center, SacramentoSAC
Dallas MavericksAmerican Airlines Center, DallasDAL
Houston RocketsToyota Center, HoustonHOU
Memphis GrizzliesFedExForum, MemphisMEM
New Orleans PelicansSmoothie King Center, New OrleansNOP

30 home grounds

Arenas & grounds

Every NBA club’s home floor for 2026-27, from the Garden banner night to the final regular-season Sunday.

Grounds on the current schedule

Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles1
Frost Bank Center, San Antonio1
Kaseya Center, Miami1
Little Caesars Arena, Detroit1
Madison Square Garden, New York1
Moody Center, Austin1
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City1
TD Garden, Boston1
Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia1

★ Banner night · Oct 20

Madison Square Garden

New York · New York Knicks

19,812

Capacity

Tip-off · Oct 20

Detroit

Little Caesars Arena

Detroit Pistons20,332

Opening night

San Antonio

Frost Bank Center

San Antonio Spurs18,354

Home arena

Boston

TD Garden

Boston Celtics19,156

Home arena

Brooklyn

Barclays Center

Brooklyn Nets17,732

Home arena

Philadelphia

Xfinity Mobile Arena

Philadelphia 76ers20,478

Home arena

Toronto

Scotiabank Arena

Toronto Raptors19,800

Home arena

Chicago

United Center

Chicago Bulls20,917

Home arena

Cleveland

Rocket Arena

Cleveland Cavaliers19,432

Home arena

Indianapolis

Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Indiana Pacers17,274

Home arena

Milwaukee

Fiserv Forum

Milwaukee Bucks17,341

Home arena

Atlanta

State Farm Arena

Atlanta Hawks16,600

Home arena

Charlotte

Spectrum Center

Charlotte Hornets19,077

Home arena

Miami

Kaseya Center

Miami Heat19,600

Home arena

Orlando

Kia Center

Orlando Magic18,846

Home arena

Washington

Capital One Arena

Washington Wizards20,356

Home arena

Denver

Ball Arena

Denver Nuggets19,520

Home arena

Minneapolis

Target Center

Minnesota Timberwolves18,978

Home arena

Oklahoma City

Paycom Center

Oklahoma City Thunder18,203

Home arena

Portland

Moda Center

Portland Trail Blazers19,393

Home arena

Salt Lake City

Delta Center

Utah Jazz18,206

Home arena

San Francisco

Chase Center

Golden State Warriors18,064

Home arena

Inglewood

Intuit Dome

LA Clippers18,000

Home arena

Los Angeles

Crypto.com Arena

Los Angeles Lakers18,997

Home arena

Phoenix

Mortgage Matchup Center

Phoenix Suns17,071

Home arena

Sacramento

Golden 1 Center

Sacramento Kings17,608

Home arena

Dallas

American Airlines Center

Dallas Mavericks19,200

Home arena

Houston

Toyota Center

Houston Rockets18,055

Home arena

Memphis

FedExForum

Memphis Grizzlies18,119

Home arena

New Orleans

Smoothie King Center

New Orleans Pelicans16,867

About the NBA 2026-27 season

30 teams, 1,230 regular-season games, and a banner night at the Garden.

The 2026-27 campaign is the NBA’s 81st season. American Express NBA Tip-Off begins on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, and the regular season closes on Sunday, April 11, 2027, with all 30 teams in action. The New York Knicks enter as defending champions and raise their first Madison Square Garden title banner since 1973 before hosting Philadelphia.

Opening week

NBC and Peacock carry the Opening Night tripleheader: Boston at Detroit, Philadelphia at New York, and Oklahoma City at San Antonio. ESPN follows with Opening Week doubleheaders, including Minnesota at Miami and Golden State at the Lakers, then Cleveland at Philadelphia and Denver at Oklahoma City. Prime Video opens Friday, October 23, with New York at Boston and Houston at San Antonio at Moody Center in Austin.

How the season works

Each club plays 82 games, split across the Eastern and Western Conferences. Home games are played at the 30 NBA arenas listed above. After the regular season, the play-in tournament fills the last playoff berths, and the champion is decided over four best-of-seven rounds.

Where to watch

National windows air on NBC, Peacock, ESPN, ABC, and Prime Video. Local sports networks carry the rest of each team’s schedule. Live scores will replace this preview once the 2026-27 competition is in the Fanziz feed.

Frequently asked questions

Dates, grounds, champions, and how to follow the 2026-27 NBA season.

The regular season tips off on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, and every team plays on the final day, Sunday, April 11, 2027. The play-in tournament and playoffs follow that regular-season finale.