2026-27 NBA Schedule Release: LeBron James and 76ers visit Lakers on Christmas Day
LeBron James’ 76ers tenure begins at the world’s most famous arena, with Philadelphia opening the 2026-27 NBA season against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 20.
The primetime game between the Knicks and 76ers will also see New York’s banner-raising ceremony pre-game.
Earlier in the day, the Boston Celtics will visit the Detroit Pistons in the first game of the season. The third and final game on opening day is a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals, with Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs hosting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Let’s dive into the NBA’s schedule release.
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2026-27 NBA schedule
While the NBA has not released the entire schedule for next season, we know the first batch of games, including a few first-week matchups and the Christmas Day slate.
The Christmas Day games open with an NBA Finals rematch as the Knicks host the Spurs. Another marquee matchup will see James make his return to Los Angeles when the 76ers visit Luka Doncic and the Lakers.
The rest of the Christmas Day schedule sees the Miami Heat visit the Boston Celtics, the Minnesota Timberwolves host the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Warriors and Denver Nuggets meeting in Golden State.
Here’s the schedule of games released by the NBA on Tuesday:
Tuesday, Oct. 20:
Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons (3 p.m. ET)
Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks (7 p.m.ET)
Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs (9:30 p.m. ET)
Wednesday, Oct. 21:
Minnesota Timberwolves at Miami Heat (7:30 p.m. ET)
Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers (10 p.m. ET)
Thursday, Oct. 22:
Cleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers (7 p.m. ET)
Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder (9:30 p.m. ET)
Friday, Oct. 23:
New York Knicks at Boston Celtics (7 p.m. ET)
Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs (9:30 p.m. ET)
Friday, Dec. 25:
San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks (12 p.m. ET)
Miami Heat at Boston Celtics (2:30 p.m. ET)
Philadelphia 76ers at Los Angeles Lakers (5 p.m. ET)
Oklahoma City Thunder at Minnesota Timberwolves (8 p.m. ET)
Denver Nuggets at Golden State Warriors (10:30 p.m. ET)