NBA schedule 2026 predictions put 76ers-Knicks on opening night
CBS Sports projects LeBron James’ 76ers against the Knicks and a Spurs-Thunder rematch as marquee NBA schedule dates.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
The first wave of NBA schedule 2026 predictions now has a LeBron-sized centerpiece: CBS Sports’ Cameron Salerno projects the Philadelphia 76ers, newly armed with LeBron James, to visit the champion New York Knicks on opening night.
The NBA has not announced the 2026-27 opening-night or Christmas Day games. Salerno’s forecast follows James’ Friday announcement that he is joining Philadelphia on a two-year deal, a decision that CBS Sports says had been holding up the league’s ability to finish key parts of the calendar.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said earlier this month that he was waiting for James to “make his announcement already,” according to CBS Sports. With that decision made, the league can now set the headline dates that usually launch and define the regular season.
What are the NBA schedule 2026 predictions?
CBS Sports predicts a two-game opening night led by 76ers at Knicks at Madison Square Garden at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by Thunder at Spurs at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio at 10 p.m. ET.
The 76ers-Knicks pick is built around several ready-made hooks. CBS Sports notes that the defending champions traditionally play on opening night, and New York would be receiving its ring before facing James and a reworked Philadelphia team. The report also says James’ agent, Rich Paul, had said earlier in the offseason that James likely would have signed with the Knicks if they had not won the title.
The second projected opener is a Western Conference Finals rematch. CBS Sports says Oklahoma City and San Antonio went seven games, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama giving the matchup the kind of star pull the league likes in a late window.
CBS Sports’ projected Christmas Day slate
For Christmas, CBS Sports lays out five games, starting with Celtics at Knicks at Madison Square Garden at noon ET. The logic: New York has often held that early Christmas slot, and Boston is entering what CBS Sports describes as a new era after trading Jaylen Brown to the 76ers in a deal led by Paul George.
The second game in the prediction is Raptors at Heat at Miami’s Kaseya Center at 2:30 p.m. ET. CBS Sports points to Miami’s offseason trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee as the draw. The outlet says Toronto’s side of the matchup may hinge on Kawhi Leonard’s status while a league investigation remains pending.
At 5 p.m. ET, CBS Sports projects 76ers at Cavaliers at Rocket Arena in Cleveland. That would send James back to Cleveland on Christmas with Philadelphia, pairing two of the Eastern Conference’s top teams in a heavy sentimental slot.
The predicted prime-time Christmas game is Spurs at Thunder at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City at 8 p.m. ET. CBS Sports gives this one the same reason as opening night: Wembanyama versus Gilgeous-Alexander, two elite teams, and a rivalry coming off a seven-game conference finals.
The proposed nightcap is Warriors at Lakers at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles at 10:30 p.m. ET. CBS Sports says the Lakers no longer have James and Golden State may be chasing play-in positioning, but Stephen Curry, Luka Dončić and two major NBA brands still fit the late West Coast Christmas window.
For now, every matchup remains a projection. The official NBA schedule will settle whether the league opens with LeBron in New York, returns quickly to Spurs-Thunder, or saves some of the season’s biggest cards for Christmas.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.