Tip-off on October 3 in Quebec
The NBA unveiled its full 2026 preseason schedule on Thursday. The announcement came through the league’s official channels.
It all gets underway on October 3, with a Miami Heat against Toronto Raptors matchup in Quebec. That’s the only game on the slate that day. The league keeps sending a few warm-up games to neutral sites, and Canada gets the curtain-raiser this time.
From October 4, the pace picks up. There will be multiple games each day, with no break, through October 16.
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Twelve games to close it out
The preseason ends on October 16 with a packed card: 12 games on the same night. The headline act is Denver Nuggets against Los Angeles Lakers, shown on ESPN.
That Nuggets-Lakers matchup is one of five preseason games airing on ESPN or ESPN2. Peacock gets a Cleveland Cavaliers against Orlando Magic game on October 13.
Two weeks to get things sorted
Two weeks of preseason is nothing. Teams that reshaped their roster in the off-season will have precious little time to test rotations before the regular season begins.
For broadcasters, it means something else. Five tune-up games on ESPN or ESPN2 says plenty about the league’s desire to grab space early in an American autumn already crowded by the NFL and the tail end of MLB’s regular season.
The full schedule is now set. The only question is which stars actually suit up, and how long they stay out there.
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