The 2026-2027 NBA season is launching soon, and the NBA on NBC will be there to celebrate its second year under a new partnership with the league. This time around, NBC Sports is helping to launch the entire season with hours of NBA Tip-Off coverage, including the first time any network has led off the season with a tripleheader of games. 

How to Watch

Watch NBA on NBC on NBC and streaming on Peacock. 

And this isn’t just any tripleheader, this is an event packed with the stars and teams you’ll want to watch all through the 2026-2027 season, including the launch of the LeBron James era in Philadelphia, the banner ceremony for the defending champion New York Knicks, and a Western Conference Finals rematch, all live on NBC and Peacock. Let’s take a closer look at what’s ahead.

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When is the NBA Tip-Off night?

The NBA on NBC will ring in the start of the new 2026-27 NBA season on Tuesday, October 20, with coverage beginning in the afternoon and continuing through the night. You’ll get three games, all of them live on NBC and streaming simultaneously on Peacock.

Teams playing in the NBA on NBC’s Tip-Off tripleheaderCeltics vs. Pistons

The NBA on NBC’s Tip-Off tripleheader begins Tuesday, October 20 at 3 p.m. ET, when Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics head to Detroit to take on Cade Cunningham and the Pistons in a showdown between two of last season’s biggest Eastern Conference playoff contenders. 

76ers vs. Knicks

Right after that game, it’s the season premiere of NBA Showtime, the NBA on NBC’s exclusive pregame show, where we’ll go live to Madison Square Garden and watch as the New York Knicks raise their first NBA Championship banner since 1973. Coverage kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET, then at 7 p.m. ET, it’s primetime game time, as the Knicks host a revamped Philadelphia 76ers squad that now includes former Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown and, of course, the legendary LeBron James. 

Thunder vs. Spurs

But we’re still not done. After 76ers vs. Knicks, coverage moves to Texas, where the defending Western Conference Champion San Antonio Spurs, led by 2026 Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama, host a Western Conference Finals rematch against 2026 MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder. That game tips off at 9:30 p.m. ET. 

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What to expect from the NBA on NBC’s tripleheader

It’s hard to know what form the teams will be in at the beginning of the season, but all six of the teams in this tripleheader are, at the very least, preseason playoff contenders. The Pistons and the Celtics fell short last season, but they’re both talent-packed teams who could make a run for it in the East. 

In primetime, the Knicks will try to ride a wave of magic that brought them their first NBA title in more than 50 years into a repeat championship and a shot at a dynastic run New York hasn’t seen in decades. The Sixers, who’ve struggled with injuries and playoff stumbles in recent years, now seem primed to be legitimate contenders with James and Brown in the lineup. Starting the season against the Knicks, at MSG no less, will be real test for this team, and a good tone-setter if they manage to pull off the win. 

Then there’s the Western Conference Finals rematch. These two teams are capable of matching each other almost shot-for-shot. It’s why they delivered one of the best NBA Playoffs series in recent memory at the end of last season, and we’re expecting more fireworks in San Antonio this October. It all adds up to a day of must-watch NBA action.Â