The full 2026-27 NBA schedule is out, which means the Washington Wizards know who they’ll face to start their new era. Of course, they plan to be competitive after going 50-196 over the last three seasons.
The Wizards will kick off the regular season on Oct. 21 against the Milwaukee Bucks at home, who they faced on the road in last year’s opener. This time, the Bucks no longer have superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, while Washington has All-Stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis as well as No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa. The latter team will be the clear favorite.
Unfortunately for out-of-market fans without NBA League Pass, that game will not be nationally televised. In fact, only six Wizards games will be broadcast on the big stage in what will likely be a transformative campaign for the team. Those matchups are as follows:
Mon, Nov. 9: at Pistons, 7:00 p.m. — PeacockTue, Nov. 24: vs. Celtics (NBA Cup), 8:00 p.m. — NBCWed, Dec. 16: at Celtics, 7:00 p.m. — ESPNTue, Jan. 12: at 76ers, 8:00 p.m. — NBCSat, Feb. 27 at Jazz, 3:00 p.m. — Amazon Prime VideoMon, March 1 at Suns, 9:30 p.m. — Peacock
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However, Washington only had five games on national TV over the last five seasons combined, so this is still progress. Even with most of the games broadcast locally, the product will be more intriguing than it has been since the team last made the playoffs in 2021.
Here are six of the Wizards’ most compelling matchups on the schedule, including ones listed above:
Season-opener vs. Bucks
Health-permitting, this will be the regular-season debut in a Washington uniform for Davis and Dybantsa, and Capital One Arena will be vibrant as the team’s long-suffering fanbase finally watches a squad with a chance to make the playoffs.
Trae Young’s revenge game
On Nov. 4, Young will face the Atlanta Hawks for the first time since they traded him to the Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert in January. Atlanta is coming off its first playoff season since 2023, and it was the only team to beat the New York Knicks more than once in a series during the 2026 postseason. Basically, it was more successful with McCollum than with Young recently, so the latter player could be motivated to prove in front of the Washington crowd that he’s still elite.
The ultimate test
The Wizards will host the defending-champion Knicks on Dec. 18, and a convincing victory would show how far they’ve come. New York is still better on paper, but Washington’s mix of top-end talent and depth could give the fellow east coast squad a hard time.
Alien battle on New Year’s Day
On a similar note, the Wizards will host the San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 1. The Spurs lost to the Knicks in the NBA Finals, but they represent where Washington wants to be. They built around superstar big man Victor Wembanyama after drafting him No. 1 overall in 2023 and are now one of the best teams in the sport.
If the Wizards play well against the Knicks and Spurs, there will be reason for excitment in the nation’s capital.
A visit with “The King”
Washington will face the Philadelphia 76ers on NBC on Jan. 12, who acquired LeBron James and Jaylen Brown this summer. Philadelphia will likely be in the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference, and a win on the road would be another jewel on the Wizards’ resume.
No. 1 vs. No. 2
Washington’s away matchup with the Utah Jazz will feature Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, the top two picks in the 2026 draft. Dybantsa won their last matchup, a 92-88 Summer League victory in which he tallied 27 points. However, this game will be of greater importance, and the former BYU Cougar must show that his summer showing wasn’t a fluke.
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