An 82-game season is mostly background. Four windows are not: the opening-week showcase in late October, the Christmas Day slate, Rivals Week at the end of January, and the Emirates NBA Cup, which starts group play on October 30. Every game in those three date windows is listed below with its tip-off time, along with the full NBA Cup group draw.
All tip-off times below are US Eastern. For central Europe add six hours, for the UK add five. Beijing is twelve hours ahead in late October and thirteen hours ahead from November onward, so most of these games land in the morning of the following day if you are reading from China.
1. Opening Week Showcase — October 20-23
The season opens on Tuesday, October 20 with a three-game showcase and runs through Friday, October 23 — nine games in four nights.
Boston and New York each play twice inside those four days, and the two meet on the Friday night. Oklahoma City opens against San Antonio and then hosts Denver two nights later, which is about as stiff an opening week as the schedule hands anyone.
- CelticsvsPistons3:00 PMET
- 76ersvsKnicks7:00 PMET
- ThundervsSpurs9:30 PMET
- TimberwolvesvsHeat7:30 PMET
- WarriorsvsLakers10:00 PMET
- Cavaliersvs76ers7:00 PMET
- NuggetsvsThunder9:30 PMET
- KnicksvsCeltics7:00 PMET
- RocketsvsSpurs9:30 PMET
2. Christmas Day — December 25, 2026
Christmas Day is a five-game slate on Friday, December 25, 2026, running from a noon tip-off through to 10:30 p.m. Eastern. It is the one date on the calendar where the league does not have to argue that the matchups matter: five games, five pairs of teams, no filler.
San Antonio and New York get the earliest slot, Miami and Boston follow, and the day finishes with Denver at Golden State. If you only clear one afternoon this season, clear this one.
- SpursvsKnicks12:00 PMET
- HeatvsCeltics2:30 PMET
- 76ersvsLakers5:00 PMET
- ThundervsTimberwolves8:00 PMET
- NuggetsvsWarriors10:30 PMET
3. Rivals Week — January 26-30, 2027
Rivals Week runs Tuesday, January 26 to Saturday, January 30, 2027 — twelve games across five nights, with the heaviest load saved for Saturday's four-game finish. It sits in the middle of the season, which is exactly when a rivalry game tells you the most about a team.
Denver, Oklahoma City and Minnesota each appear twice, and Saturday alone pairs Denver with Oklahoma City and San Antonio with Golden State before Los Angeles closes the night against New York.
- RocketsvsSpurs8:00 PMET
- ThundervsLakers11:00 PMET
- PistonsvsCavaliers7:00 PMET
- NuggetsvsTimberwolves9:30 PMET
- HawksvsKnicks7:00 PMET
- HeatvsBucks9:30 PMET
- CavaliersvsRaptors7:00 PMET
- HornetsvsTimberwolves9:30 PMET
- 76ersvsHeat12:30 PMET
- NuggetsvsThunder3:00 PMET
- SpursvsWarriors5:30 PMET
- LakersvsKnicks8:30 PMET
4. Emirates NBA Cup — group draw
The Emirates NBA Cup tips off on October 30, with six groups of five — three in the West and three in the East — and moves straight into knockout play in December. It is the only part of the calendar where the regular season becomes a tournament, and the group draw is what decides which of the season's early games carry a table with them.
- Nuggets
- Rockets
- Suns
- Mavericks
- Jazz
- Thunder
- Timberwolves
- Clippers
- Pelicans
- Grizzlies
- Spurs
- Lakers
- Trail Blazers
- Warriors
- Kings
- Pistons
- Raptors
- Magic
- Bucks
- Nets
- Knicks
- Cavaliers
- 76ers
- Heat
- Pacers
- Celtics
- Hawks
- Hornets
- Bulls
- Wizards
5. Shop the season by team
Every team below plays at least one game inside the four windows above; the line under each name is where it appears. Two shirts per team: the blank-back custom jersey, and the jersey of the player that team's season is most likely to be remembered for. Each card carries its own men's, women's and youth links, so you land on the version you actually want rather than on a size chart.
Eastern Conference
Boston Celtics
Shop all Celtics jerseysOpening Week Showcase (vs Pistons, Oct 20 and vs Knicks, Oct 23) · Christmas Day (vs Heat, Dec 25) · NBA Cup East C
Cleveland Cavaliers
Shop all Cavaliers jerseysOpening Week Showcase (vs 76ers, Oct 22) · Rivals Week (vs Pistons, Jan 27 and vs Raptors, Jan 29) · NBA Cup East B
Detroit Pistons
Shop all Pistons jerseysOpening Week Showcase (vs Celtics, Oct 20) · Rivals Week (vs Cavaliers, Jan 27) · NBA Cup East A
Miami Heat
Shop all Heat jerseysOpening Week Showcase (vs Timberwolves, Oct 21) · Christmas Day (vs Celtics, Dec 25) · Rivals Week (vs Bucks, Jan 28 and vs 76ers, Jan 30) · NBA Cup East B
New York Knicks
Shop all Knicks jerseysOpening Week Showcase (vs 76ers, Oct 20 and vs Celtics, Oct 23) · Christmas Day (vs Spurs, Dec 25) · Rivals Week (vs Hawks, Jan 28 and vs Lakers, Jan 30) · NBA Cup East B
Philadelphia 76ers
Shop all 76ers jerseysOpening Week Showcase (vs Knicks, Oct 20 and vs Cavaliers, Oct 22) · Christmas Day (vs Lakers, Dec 25) · Rivals Week (vs Heat, Jan 30) · NBA Cup East B
Western Conference
Denver Nuggets
Shop all Nuggets jerseysOpening Week Showcase (vs Thunder, Oct 22) · Christmas Day (vs Warriors, Dec 25) · Rivals Week (vs Timberwolves, Jan 27 and vs Thunder, Jan 30) · NBA Cup West A
Golden State Warriors
Shop all Warriors jerseysOpening Week Showcase (vs Lakers, Oct 21) · Christmas Day (vs Nuggets, Dec 25) · Rivals Week (vs Spurs, Jan 30) · NBA Cup West C
Houston Rockets
Shop all Rockets jerseysOpening Week Showcase (vs Spurs, Oct 23) · Rivals Week (vs Spurs, Jan 26) · NBA Cup West A
Los Angeles Lakers
Shop all Lakers jerseysOpening Week Showcase (vs Warriors, Oct 21) · Christmas Day (vs 76ers, Dec 25) · Rivals Week (vs Thunder, Jan 26 and vs Knicks, Jan 30) · NBA Cup West C
Minnesota Timberwolves
Shop all Timberwolves jerseysOpening Week Showcase (vs Heat, Oct 21) · Christmas Day (vs Thunder, Dec 25) · Rivals Week (vs Nuggets, Jan 27 and vs Hornets, Jan 29) · NBA Cup West B
Oklahoma City Thunder
Shop all Thunder jerseysOpening Week Showcase (vs Spurs, Oct 20 and vs Nuggets, Oct 22) · Christmas Day (vs Timberwolves, Dec 25) · Rivals Week (vs Lakers, Jan 26 and vs Nuggets, Jan 30) · NBA Cup West B
San Antonio Spurs
Shop all Spurs jerseysOpening Week Showcase (vs Thunder, Oct 20 and vs Rockets, Oct 23) · Christmas Day (vs Knicks, Dec 25) · Rivals Week (vs Rockets, Jan 26 and vs Warriors, Jan 30) · NBA Cup West C
Questions about the 2026-27 NBA calendar
When does the 2026-27 NBA season start?
The first games are on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, with Boston at Detroit from 3:00 p.m. Eastern. The opening-week showcase runs to Friday, October 23.
How many games are on Christmas Day?
Five, on Friday, December 25, 2026 — from San Antonio vs New York at noon Eastern through to Denver vs Golden State at 10:30 p.m. Eastern.
When is Rivals Week?
Tuesday, January 26 to Saturday, January 30, 2027: twelve games in five nights.
When does the Emirates NBA Cup begin?
Group play tips off on October 30, with six groups of five teams. The full draw is published above; knockout rounds follow later in the season.
What time zone are these tip-off times in?
US Eastern. Add six hours for central Europe and five for the UK. Beijing is twelve hours ahead during the October games and thirteen hours ahead from November onward.