Ranking 2026-27 NBA Christmas Day, Opening Night games after schedule announcements

Following arguably the craziest offseason in NBA history, the 2026-27 NBA season is highly anticipated. Fans have been on the edge of their seats waiting to see when all of the superstars that switched teams this offseason will play, both under the bright lights of marquee matchups and in their revenge games against their old teams.

All of Jaylen Brown, Giannis Antetokounmpo, LaMelo Ball, Ja Morant, Walker Kessler, and Kawhi Leonard were traded in an offseason full of blockbusters. Plus, the 2026 NBA Draft was one of the most loaded classes in recent memory, and the expectation is that all of Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Caleb Wilson will thrive right away. Furthermore, there were some huge moves in free agency. Most notably, LeBron James joined the Philadelphia 76ers to create what can only be described as a superteam.

All of that player movement goes without mentioning the defending champion New York Knicks, the Oklahoma City Thunder franchise with dynasty aspirations, the San Antonio Spurs team that could dominate for years to come, or the Denver Nuggets squad that still has arguably the best player in the NBA.

The NBA won’t release the entire regular season schedule until Thursday, Aug. 13, but Opening Night and Christmas Day games are the most anticipated during the regular season, and the matchups for both of those were just dropped.  So, who will be playing in the biggest games of the year?

Ranking Opening Night games

1. Philadelphia 76ers @ New York Knicks at 7 p.m. ET

There wasn’t a better matchup the NBA could have chosen for what, in any other year, would have been the first game of the season. For whatever reason, though, the New York Knicks’ banner ceremony will take place after an afternoon game tips off the season, but more on that later.

Regardless, the Knicks will get their rings for the first time in 53 years, and a team hoping to accomplish the same thing will be front and center to watch it all. The Philadelphia 76ers added Brown and James to a core that already featured former MVP Joel Embiid, and one of the most exciting young backcourts in the NBA, with Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe. The 76ers made other great offseason moves, too. Anfernee Simons was one of the steals of free agency, and the same can be said about Labaron Philon in the draft. Plus, Dean Wade was signed to bring spacing to a team filled with elite slashers.

This team has all of the potential in the world; just ask Kevin Durant his thoughts on them. Of course, injuries are always a concern with Embiid, but that shouldn’t be a problem during the first night of the season. The defending champions will be a great test for the team that many are crowning as the frontrunners to hoist the Larry O’Brien this year.

The Knicks are bringing back most of their championship core, too. The entire starting lineup of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges is back. While the team did lose Mitchell Robinson, who was arguably the best backup center in the league last season, his replacement will have plenty of motivation on Opening Night. Andre Drummond will take on his old team while his new teammates add some hardware to their trophy cases.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder @ San Antonio Spurs at 9:30 p.m. ET

If it wasn’t for the allure of the new, the San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game would rank first among NBA Opening Night games. This is a rivalry that electrified during the Western Conference Finals, and one that has the potential to carry the league for years to come.

In fact, many were calling the WCF the real championship when it went to Game 7. Of course, that was proven false when an Eastern Conference team went on to win it all, but San Antonio’s NBA Finals loss should serve as motivation. They are no longer the young, up-and-coming team with potential. They are proven contenders in a championship-or-bust state of mind.

Victor Wembanyama just might be the face of the NBA at this point. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year does things that seem impossible. An already deep team got even deeper with the offseason additions of Tobias Harris and two first-round rookie centers, too. While financial concerns caused the Thunder to lose some of their depth (Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe), there is still no team that matches the one-through-15 talent that Oklahoma City has, though.

A Western Conference Finals loss shouldn’t change the Thunder’s perception, and they should still be looked at as championship favorites. The team struggled against the Spurs all year last season, though. Not only did they lose in the playoffs to them, but they went 1-4 in the regular season against San Antonio. An Opening day win that is fueled by revenge could spark the fire to carry them throughout the season. Perhaps Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes his claim to become the fourth MVP three-peater ever right away, too.

3. Boston Celtics @ Detroit Pistons at 3 pm. ET

Typically, two games are played on Opening Night. This year, though, the NBA decided to add a third game, and one that takes place before banner night. While there is more parity, depth, and superstar talent spread across the league than ever before, the league shouldn’t have changed what was a good thing, and starting the season off at 3 p.m. just seems wrong.

That fact is made even more true that the two teams competing, the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons, seem likely to be worse off than they were last year. Financial repercussions associated with playing in the second apron era, as well as the potential internal conflicts of failing to trade Brown for Antetokounmpo, somewhat forced Boston’s hand into trading their recent NBA Finals MVP. Even so, there is no doubt that they were fleeced in the deal that landed them Paul George.

The Pistons were the one seed in the Eastern Conference last year, but they have still yet to bring back Jalen Duren, and at this point, the center seems to be disgruntled. Plus, Isaiah Stewart, the heart and soul of the team and their former enforcer, was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Both of these teams are going to be competitive in the east. Boston has a diehard fanbase, and Detroit has returned to a gritty style of play that they’ve found so much success with throughout their history. Even so, these two teams have lost some of their appeal from last season, and it was a shock that the NBA needed to add a third Opening Night game, which isn’t even actually at night, just to pair these two up.

Ranking Christmas Day games

1. San Antonio Spurs @ New York Knicks at 12 p.m. ET

Just like they did for Opening Night matchups, the Knicks rank as having the most anticipated Christmas Day game. That shows just how big of a deal it was that the team that plays in the mecca of basketball finally won it all after 53 years. Of course, they did so against the Spurs, and an NBA Finals rematch will happen at noon on Christmas.

While the Knicks beat the Spurs in five games, the NBA Finals were a better series than it would appear at first glance. San Antonio’s youth was exposed, as they often gave up leads late in the game. San Antonio actually led for 69% of the championship series, though. Christmas Day will be the Spurs’ time to prove that, if the ball had bounced the other way a couple of times in June, then they could have been champions.

There are tons of questions the team will need to answer, though. Will Wembanyama be better prepared for Towns and Anunoby’s physicality? Can De’Aaron Fox pick things up in the clutch? Will Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper take the next step forward in their development? All of these questions need to be answered with a resounding yes if the Spurs are to surpass the team that beat them in the NBA Finals. A Christmas Day win for the Knicks, though, would prove that the team is ready to go back-to-back.

2. Philadelphia 76ers @ Los Angeles Lakers at 6 p.m. ET

It is unclear when The King will make his return to his old team, but the return to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers might just take place on Christmas Day. Switching teams is nothing new for James, but it is a big deal each time that James does so, and his revenge tours are must-watch TV.

This one will be particularly special because James went from teammates with his son, Bronny James, to potential opponents. If the father-son duo was forced to guard each other, rather than pass to each other, the basketball world would lose their minds. Even ignoring the James storylines of a 76ers vs. Lakers matchup, there is a lot to look forward to for this 6 p.m. showdown.

Luka Doncic is now the clear-cut leader in Los Angeles, and Austin Reaves could take a step forward without needing to share the ball with James, too. The Lakers made a lot of offseason moves as well. They traded for Kessler to finally bring in needed interior help, and Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton, Matisse Thybulle, and Quentin Grimes all bring needed roles. The latter of those players was not only on the 76ers last season, but he truly broke out as a scoring threat in Philadelphia.

Will the Lakers be able to defend Philadelphia, though? Maxey, Edgecombe, James, and Brown all thrive getting downhill, and neither Doncic nor Reaves are known for their defensive prowess. Regardless, this is a matchup littered with superstars, and if it truly is James’ return to Los Angeles, then this game has a case to rank first among Christmas Day matchups.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder @ Minnesota Timberwolves at 8 p.m. ET

Even after a Western Conference Finals loss, it still seems like the Thunder have multiple championships in their future. The team has loads of superstar talent, role players, and developmental pieces. If there is a critique of the Thunder, though, it is that they don’t have many true forwards and wing defenders, especially after trading Dort, Wiggins, and Joe.

Time will tell if that will cost them or not, but their Christmas Day showdown will be a brilliant battle of the guards. The Minnesota Timberwolves formed one of the best backcourts in the NBA when they traded for LaMelo Ball, who will now pair with Anthony Edwards. Watching Ball, Edwards, and the recently paid Ayo Dosunmu go at Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, and Ajay Mitchell will be a sight to behold. When these stellar guards do get past their perimeter matchups, they will be met at the rim by Rudy Gobert and Chet Holmgren, respectively.

The teams based in Oklahoma City and Minnesota are proving that small market teams can not only find success, but become super marketable. They’ve been rewarded with a highly anticipated Christmas Day showdown because of it.

4. Miami Heat @ Boston Celtics at 2:30 p.m. ET

The Milwaukee Bucks traded Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat in what was one of the biggest trades in recent memory. The Celtics did their best to be the team that ended up with the Greek Freak, though. Ultimately, their falling short in the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes created a ripple effect that led to them trading Brown to the 76ers. The league looks much different because of it.

The Celtics will face the team that stole Antetokounmpo away from them at 2:30 p.m. on Christmas Day. Of course, Antetokounmpo’s pairing with Bam Adebayo is scary. The center scored 83 points in a game last season. Even without Brown, the Celtics can be better than expected, too.

The team won a lot more games than projected with Tatum sidelined last season, and assuming he gets back to full strength, they could once again exceed expectations without his longtime running mate. These are two perennial Eastern Conference contenders who are going to look a whole lot different than they have in recent years.

5. Denver Nuggets @ Golden State Warriors at 10:30 p.m. ET

The Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors have had a lot of incredible matchups in recent years. Unfortunately, these seem to be two teams on a downward trajectory, and, therefore, their Christmas Day matchup comes in last place in these rankings. The Warriors won four championships with Stephen Curry leading the way, but he, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler are all well past their primes.

The Nuggets, meanwhile, were just eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, something that hadn’t happened since before they won the NBA Finals in 2023. Nikola Jokic still has a case as the best player in the NBA, but it has been a disappointing offseason that could get even worse if Peyton Watson doesn’t return to the fold. As of now, the Nuggets are the only second apron team in the NBA, and their finances are extremely worrisome.

With those negatives out of the way, this still has the potential to be a great game. Jokic is a triple-double machine who puts up video game numbers on a nightly basis, and Curry, the best 3-point shooter in NBA history, can have one of those games where he simply can’t miss on any given night.

Opening Night and Christmas Day games have the potential to be better than ever before in 2026, so true diehards won’t want to miss any of the action.

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