Predicting the NBA’s Opening Night and Christmas Schedules
With LeBron James officially joining the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-year deal, the NBA’s schedule for the 2026-27 season is starting to take shape. NBA commissioner Adam Silver can finally finalize the league’s calendar, including the highly anticipated opening night and Christmas Day matchups.
It’s likely that the 76ers will be featured on both opening night and Christmas Day, given their recent addition of James. While the opponent for Christmas Day is still uncertain, a logical matchup for the 76ers on opening night would be against the reigning NBA champions, the New York Knicks.
The other game of the two-game opening night slate is also up for debate, but a potential matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder is an intriguing possibility. This Western Conference Finals rematch would bring together two teams with star power, including Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who could potentially be the two best players in the world right now.
While the NBA fans will have to wait a little longer for the official announcement of the matchups, we can make some educated predictions based on the current information. Here’s what we think the opening night and Christmas Day schedules might look like.
Predictions for Opening Night
1. 76ers vs. Knicks
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Madison Square Garden (New York)
It’s tradition for the reigning NBA champions to play on opening night, and last year, the Oklahoma City Thunder faced the Houston Rockets in the first game of the season. This year, the 76ers, with James on board, will take on the Knicks at a raucous Madison Square Garden. The atmosphere would be electric, with the two teams facing off in what promises to be an exciting matchup.
2. Thunder vs. Spurs
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
Location: Frost Bank Center (San Antonio)
Last year, the Golden State Warriors faced the Los Angeles Lakers in the nightcap of the opening night slate. This year, the Spurs and Thunder, two teams with star power, could potentially face off in a highly competitive matchup. The West Finals went seven games, and we shouldn’t have to wait to see these two teams square off again.
Predictions for Christmas Day
1. Celtics vs. Knicks
Time: Noon ET
Location: Madison Square Garden (New York)
Traditionally, the Knicks have played in this timeslot on Christmas Day. While there’s a chance the NBA might bump New York to primetime after it won the title, a matchup between the Celtics and Knicks would make sense. Boston is entering a new era after trading Jaylen Brown to the 76ers for a package headlined by Paul George.
2. Raptors vs. Heat
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
Location: Kaseya Center (Miami)
The second slot of the day requires some creativity. If the NBA wants to stick with the Eastern Conference theme, then having the Toronto Raptors face the Miami Heat would make a ton of sense. The Heat made the biggest trade of the offseason by acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks. The Raptors (might?) have Kawhi Leonard, pending the league investigation, if and when that ever ends.
3. 76ers vs. Cavaliers
Time: 5:00 p.m. ET
Location: Rocket Arena (Cleveland)
LeBron James is going to make commissioner Adam Silver work (on the road) on Christmas Day. What better matchup than James going home to Cleveland for (potentially) one of the final times in his career? Again, the league can go multiple different directions for the team they want the 76ers to play on Christmas, but giving James a homecoming would be perfect.
4. Spurs vs. Thunder
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City)
The theme of these predictions is, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The primetime game of Christmas Day should be Oklahoma City vs. San Antonio for all the same reasons they should play on opening night. They’re arguably the two best teams in the league heading into the season with megastars, particularly Wembanyama and Gilgeous-Alexander, on each side.
5. Warriors vs. Lakers
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
Location: Crypto.com Arena (Los Angeles)
Multiple deserving teams are not on the Christmas Day slate. Sure, the Lakers don’t have James anymore and the Warriors might be fighting to reach the play-in this season, but it’s still two of the biggest brands in the sport with star power on each side. Curry is still box office. Luka Dončić is going to be one of the top MVP contenders with James heading East.
While the NBA fans will have to wait a little longer for the official announcement of the matchups, we can make some educated predictions based on the current information. The 2026-27 season is shaping up to be an exciting one, and we can’t wait to see what the final schedule looks like.
