NBA Preseason 2026 Schedule: Date, time and where to watch every game
Nearly two weeks of preseason basketball begin October 3, including international games
NBA Preseason 2026 schedule: Dates, times and where to watch every game. The NBA returns on October 3 with nearly two weeks of preseason basketball, including games in Canada, Hawaii, Las Vegas and Macau. ESPN will carry five nationally televised matchups before the 2026-27 regular season begins on October 21.
The NBA preseason is almost here, with teams preparing for the final stretch of roster decisions, rotation experiments and tune-up games before the regular season begins.
The schedule opens Saturday, October 3, when the Miami Heat face the Toronto Raptors in Quebec City, before expanding into a packed slate that runs through October 16.
ESPN has confirmed five national broadcasts across ESPN and ESPN2, beginning October 8 with the Sacramento Kings visiting the Los Angeles Lakers . All five ESPN games will also be available through the ESPN App.
ESPN’s nationally televised NBA preseason games
The first national game arrives Thursday, October 8, when Sacramento visits the Lakers at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
ESPN will then show the San Antonio Spurs at the Phoenix Suns on October 10, followed by a Sunday doubleheader featuring Orlando at Cleveland and Chicago at Denver .
The network’s preseason coverage concludes October 16 when the Denver Nuggets visit the Lakers at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Complete 2026 NBA preseason schedule
- October 3: Miami at Toronto — 7:00 p.m. ET
- October 4: Golden State at LA Clippers — 7:00 p.m. ET
- October 4: Utah at Denver — 7:00 p.m. ET
- October 5: Memphis at Atlanta — 7:00 p.m. ET
- October 5: Phoenix at Detroit — 7:00 p.m. ET
- October 5: New York at Philadelphia — 7:00 p.m. ET
- October 5: Minnesota at Milwaukee — 8:00 p.m. ET
- October 5: LA Lakers at Sacramento — 10:00 p.m. ET
- October 6: Brooklyn at Charlotte — 7:00 p.m. ET
- October 6: New Orleans at Oklahoma City — 8:00 p.m. ET
- October 6: Denver at Utah — 9:00 p.m. ET
- October 6: LA Lakers at Golden State — 10:00 p.m. ET
- October 7: Indiana at Minnesota — 7:00 p.m. ET
- October 7: Phoenix at Chicago — 8:00 p.m. ET
- October 7: Milwaukee at Oklahoma City — 8:00 p.m. ET
- October 7: Orlando at Memphis — 8:00 p.m. ET
- October 7: Golden State at Portland — 10:00 p.m. ET
- October 8: Boston at Cleveland — 7:00 p.m. ET
- October 8: Philadelphia at Brooklyn — 7:30 p.m. ET
- October 8: Washington at New York — 7:30 p.m. ET
- October 8: New Orleans at Miami — 7:30 p.m. ET
- October 8: Atlanta at San Antonio — 8:00 p.m. ET
- October 8: Sacramento at LA Lakers — 10:30 p.m. ET — ESPN2 / ESPN App
- October 9: Houston at Dallas in Macau — 8:00 a.m. ET
- October 9: Memphis at Chicago — 8:00 p.m. ET
- October 10: LA Clippers at Toronto — 6:30 p.m. ET
- October 10: Atlanta at Indiana — 7:00 p.m. ET
- October 10: Detroit at Washington — 7:00 p.m. ET
- October 10: Philadelphia at Boston — 8:00 p.m. ET
- October 10: Minnesota at Miami — 8:00 p.m. ET
- October 10: Sacramento at Golden State — 8:30 p.m. ET
- October 10: San Antonio at Phoenix — 10:00 p.m. ET — ESPN / ESPN App
- October 11: Dallas at Houston in Macau — 6:00 a.m. ET
- October 11: Orlando at Cleveland — 6:30 p.m. ET — ESPN / ESPN App
- October 11: Milwaukee at Charlotte — 7:00 p.m. ET
- October 11: Chicago at Denver — 9:00 p.m. ET — ESPN / ESPN App
- October 12: London Lions at Portland — 4:00 p.m. ET
- October 12: Brooklyn at Washington — 7:00 p.m. ET
- October 12: Oklahoma City at Atlanta — 7:00 p.m. ET
- October 12: Minnesota at New York — 7:30 p.m. ET
- October 12: San Antonio at Utah — 9:00 p.m. ET
- October 13: Cleveland at Orlando — 7:00 p.m. ET
- October 13: New York at Toronto — 7:00 p.m. ET
- October 13: Indiana at Oklahoma City — 8:00 p.m. ET
- October 13: Portland at Sacramento — 10:00 p.m. ET
- October 13: Golden State at LA Lakers in Las Vegas — 10:00 p.m. ET
- October 14: Charlotte at Boston — 7:30 p.m. ET
- October 14: Brooklyn at Miami — 7:30 p.m. ET
- October 14: Phoenix at San Antonio — 8:00 p.m. ET
- October 14: Detroit at Minnesota — 8:00 p.m. ET
- October 14: New Orleans at Dallas — 8:00 p.m. ET
- October 14: Chicago at Milwaukee — 8:00 p.m. ET
- October 14: Denver at LA Clippers — 10:30 p.m. ET
- October 15: Toronto at New York — 7:30 p.m. ET
- October 15: Oklahoma City at Houston — 8:30 p.m. ET
- October 16: Miami at Orlando — 7:00 p.m. ET
- October 16: Toronto at Detroit — 7:00 p.m. ET
- October 16: Boston at Philadelphia — 7:00 p.m. ET
- October 16: Milwaukee at Indiana — 7:00 p.m. ET
- October 16: Charlotte at Memphis — 8:00 p.m. ET
- October 16: Atlanta at Dallas — 8:00 p.m. ET
- October 16: Minnesota at Chicago — 8:00 p.m. ET
- October 16: Sacramento at San Antonio — 8:00 p.m. ET
- October 16: Washington at New Orleans — 8:00 p.m. ET
- October 16: Utah at Phoenix — 10:00 p.m. ET
- October 16: Portland at Golden State — 10:00 p.m. ET
- October 16: Denver at LA Lakers — 10:30 p.m. ET — ESPN / ESPN App
Games not listed as ESPN or ESPN2 broadcasts may be available through team, regional or other NBA broadcast arrangements.
When does the 2026-27 NBA regular season begin?
The preseason wraps up October 16, giving teams only a few days to make their final roster decisions before the games begin to count.
ESPN’s coverage of the 2026-27 NBA regular season starts Wednesday, October 21, when attention shifts from experimentation and preparation to the opening stages of the playoff race.
