10 national TV must-see matchups during first 2 months of the 2026-27 season

Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves host Luka Dončić and the Lakers on Dec. 16.

The NBA schedule is here. It begins with nine intriguing matchups

opening week

and features a stacked,

Christmas Day slate

. But with so many good or intriguing teams in both conferences, there are a ton of must-see matchups every week.

Here are 10 intriguing

national TV games

in between opening week and Christmas, listed in chronological order …

1. Tuesday, Oct. 27 – Detroit at New York (8 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)

The Knicks are the defending champions, but the Pistons had their way with New York in the regular season last year, winning

their three meetings

by an average of 28 points. So both teams have something to prove here, and the idea of Ausar Thompson defending Jalen Brunson is enough to get you excited for this matchup.

Other meetings:

Feb. 3 @ DET, Feb. 17 @ DET, Apr. 9 @ NYK

2. Wed. Oct. 28 – Philadelphia at Indiana (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)

We all want to see how the new-look Sixers are going to fit together offensively, but the bigger question will be how they hold up on the other end of the floor. And no team will test the mobility of LeBron James and Joel Embiid like Indiana, which has ranked in the top five in ball and player movement in each of the last six years. Tyrese Haliburton is back, and he’s got a new pick-and-roll partner with Ivica Zubac, so there’s plenty of intrigue regarding the Pacers themselves.

Nov. 15 @ PHI, Nov. 27 @ IND, Jan. 19 @ PHI

3. Wed. Oct. 28 – Oklahoma City at Dallas (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

If Cooper Flagg is going to be one of the league’s biggest stars, he’s going to have to figure out the Thunder defense. He averaged

just 9.0 points

on a true shooting percentage of

just 39.8%

in his two games against Oklahoma City last season, with those both being the lowest marks against any opponent. His first of four more tests against the league’s No. 1 defense comes in the second week of the season.

Jan. 18 @ DAL, Mar. 8 @ OKC, Mar. 17 @ OKC

4. Friday, Nov. 6 – Philadelphia at Cleveland (7:30 p.m. ET, Prime)

The third Friday of the season brings us LeBron James’ first game in Cleveland as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. This is also a huge game in what is a stacked East Group B in the Emirates NBA Cup, as well as a potential playoff preview between two teams that consider themselves contenders for the Eastern Conference crown.

Oct. 22 @ PHI, Mar. 1 @ CLE

5. Friday, Nov. 20 – Houston at Denver (10 p.m. ET, Prime)

In regard to point differential, the Rockets and Nuggets were

the third and fourth best teams

in the Western Conference last season. But they were both eliminated in the first round of the playoffs and are looking to keep their title-contention windows open. This is the second of just three meetings and should be the biggest game in West Group A of the Emirates NBA Cup.

Nov. 9 @ HOU, Feb. 14 @ HOU

6. Tuesday, Nov. 24 – Boston at Washington (8 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)

The Celtics and Wizards are the two biggest wildcards in the Eastern Conference. Boston has been the best team in the league over the last 10 years, but is entering uncharted territory with the departure of Jaylen Brown. The Wizards have been the worst team in the league over the last 10 years, but now have veterans Trae Young and Anthony Davis, along with No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa. The rookie could be going head-to-head with Jayson Tatum in what will be an Emirates NBA Cup game in East Group C.

Dec. 14 @ BOS, Dec. 16 @ BOS, Jan. 18 @ WAS

7. Wednesday, Nov. 25 – San Antonio at Portland (10 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Is the pairing of Damian Lillard and Ja Morant going to work? Matchups against Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper could be the Blazers’ backcourt’s biggest tests, and this will be the second of four, a rematch of a first-round series from the 2026 playoffs, and the third NBA Emirates Cup game for both teams in West Group C.

Nov. 7 @ POR, Jan. 24 @ SAS, Apr. 11 @ SAS

8. Tuesday, Dec. 1 – Utah at Golden State (11 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)

The Jazz are one of the more intriguing teams in the league, seemingly primed to make a huge leap after finishing last in the Western Conference in each of the last two seasons. The Warriors are seemingly going in the other direction, one of the teams that the Jazz could potentially pass on their way to the Play-In or playoffs. We don’t know how many times Stephen Curry and Darryn Peterson will ever go head-to-head in this league, but this will (health permitting) be meeting No. 1.

Jan. 28 @ UTA, Apr. 11 @ GSW

9. Saturday, Dec. 12 – New York at Miami (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)

The first ABC game of the season is a big one, with the champs traveling to South Florida to take on the new-look Heat. Knicks-Heat is one of the league’s biggest rivalries of the last 30 years, and this is the start of a new chapter, with Giannis Antetokounmpo currently 29-14 against New York in his career.

Nov. 27 @ NYK, Jan. 14 @ NYK

10. Wednesday, Dec. 16 – L.A. Lakers @ Minnesota (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

The Lakers and Wolves are the Western Conference contenders that have made the biggest changes. Minnesota basically swapped Julius Randle and Naz Reid for LaMelo Ball, while L.A. is set to return players who represent just 42% of their regular-season minutes (the league’s lowest rate) from last season. Luka Dončić (33.5 points per game) was

the league’s leading scorer

last season, while Anthony Edwards (28.8) ranked third, and they will surely be rivals for years to come.

Dec. 18 @ MIN, Apr. 7 @ LAL, Apr. 9 @ LAL

* * *

John Schuhmann has covered the NBA for more than 20 years. You can e-mail him

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