Three games open the season on October 21 in the Philippines
The NBA’s 2026–27 regular season begins on Tuesday, October 20 in the United States, with a three-game schedule that reaches Philippine viewers on Wednesday, October 21. New York’s championship banner ceremony and a Western Conference finals rematch headline the opening slate.
Boston visits Detroit first, with tip-off set for 3 a.m. PHT on October 21, equivalent to 3 p.m. ET on October 20. Little Caesars Arena hosts the season’s opening game between the teams that finished with the Eastern Conference’s two best records in 2025–26.
The Philadelphia 76ers then visit the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden at 7 a.m. PHT, or 7 p.m. ET the previous evening. New York is scheduled to raise its 2025–26 championship banner before the game. According to the NBA’s schedule announcement, the matchup is also set to introduce LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in Philadelphia’s regular-season lineup following their offseason moves.
Oklahoma City closes the tripleheader at San Antonio’s Frost Bank Center at 9:30 a.m. PHT, corresponding to 9:30 p.m. ET on October 20. The Thunder and Spurs meet again after facing each other in the 2026 Western Conference finals. This opening game is in San Antonio; the Spurs’ later opening-week meeting with Houston will be played in Austin.
NBC and Peacock are the announced U.S. broadcasters for all three opening-night games. Those listings describe U.S. coverage and do not establish Philippine viewing availability. Fans in the Philippines should check their local provider’s game listings closer to tip-off.
The schedule was checked on September 28. These are upcoming fixtures, and player participation will depend on team availability updates before each game.