Scheduled
Cleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers
2026-27 · Regular season
Friday NBA preview: all 12 games with tip times in ET and Cairo, TV and who’s out after the openers
Friday is the first full night of the season: 12 games from Bulls at Bucks at 4 p.m. ET (11 p.m. in Cairo) to three 10 p.m. ET West Coast tips (5 a.m. Saturday). Knicks-Celtics and Rockets-Spurs are on Prime Video. Here is every tip time, Wednesday's results and who is out.
In this article
Friday, October 23, is the first full night of the NBA season, with 12 games and 24 teams in action. It starts with an afternoon tip in Milwaukee at 4 p.m. ET, which is 11 p.m. Friday in Cairo, and ends with three West Coast games at 10 p.m. ET, or 5 a.m. Saturday in Cairo. Every team on the slate has now played once, so Friday is also the first look at how Wednesday’s openers carry over.
Two games are on Prime Video in the United States: Knicks at Celtics at 7 p.m. ET and Rockets at Spurs at 9:30 p.m. ET. The other 10 are on local TV and NBA League Pass. The league’s official injury report for Friday’s games is filed on Thursday afternoon ET, around midnight in Cairo, so the availability notes below reflect who sat out on Wednesday and what teams said at Thursday’s practices. The headline from those practices: Washington has already ruled out AJ Dybantsa again, while Orlando’s Anthony Black and Boston’s Mitchell Robinson both practiced. Check our injuries page for the latest lists before tip.
Friday’s 12 games at a glance
| Game | Tip (ET, Fri) | Tip (Cairo) | US TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bulls at Milwaukee Bucks | 4:00 p.m. | 11:00 p.m. Fri | Local TV |
| New York Knicks at Boston Celtics | 7:00 p.m. | 2:00 a.m. Sat | Prime Video |
| Atlanta Hawks at Charlotte Hornets | 7:00 p.m. | 2:00 a.m. Sat | Local TV |
| Dallas Mavericks at Indiana Pacers | 7:00 p.m. | 2:00 a.m. Sat | Local TV |
| Minnesota Timberwolves at Orlando Magic | 7:00 p.m. | 2:00 a.m. Sat | Local TV |
| Toronto Raptors at Washington Wizards | 7:00 p.m. | 2:00 a.m. Sat | Local TV |
| Detroit Pistons at Miami Heat | 8:00 p.m. | 3:00 a.m. Sat | Local TV |
| Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs | 9:30 p.m. | 4:30 a.m. Sat | Prime Video |
| New Orleans Pelicans at Utah Jazz | 9:30 p.m. | 4:30 a.m. Sat | Local TV |
| Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors | 10:00 p.m. | 5:00 a.m. Sat | Local TV |
| LA Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers | 10:00 p.m. | 5:00 a.m. Sat | Local TV |
| Portland Trail Blazers at Sacramento Kings | 10:00 p.m. | 5:00 a.m. Sat | Local TV |
Cairo is on UTC+3 until the end of October, seven hours ahead of New York. Eleven of the 24 teams also play on Saturday: Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Golden State, Houston, Miami, Milwaukee, New Orleans, San Antonio and Washington are all on the first back-to-back of their season.
Bulls at Bucks, 4 p.m. ET (11 p.m. Friday in Cairo)
Both teams are 0-1 and both are coming off rough nights. Milwaukee’s home opener tips at 3 p.m. local time, moved up for the Brewers’ World Series opener, and the first 10,000 fans get a custom schedule poster. The Bucks lost 128-116 in Washington on Wednesday, when Anthony Davis scored 34 in his Wizards debut and a 21-2 fourth-quarter run decided it. Milwaukee had nobody on Wednesday’s injury list.
Chicago’s opener was worse. The Bulls never led in a 135-92 loss in Toronto, making 4 of 36 threes and turning it over 27 times. Jordan Hawkins and Dailyn Swain missed that game with a stomach illness, Nic Claxton (hamstring) is due to be reevaluated in about two weeks, and Josh Giddey said afterward that a wrist injury will be managed all season, while Zach Collins returned on a minutes limit. Both teams play again on Saturday, the Bucks in Philadelphia and the Bulls at home against Washington.
Knicks at Celtics, 7 p.m. ET (2 a.m. Saturday in Cairo)
The champions are still looking for their first win. New York lost 106-100 to Philadelphia on ring night at Madison Square Garden, and Boston lost its opener 121-113 in Detroit after the Pistons erased a 22-point hole with a 23-0 fourth-quarter run. Paul George’s 38 points were a Celtics record for a debut. Boston is without Devin Carter, who has mononucleosis and no timetable for a return, and Mitchell Robinson, who hurt his ankle in the opener, was on the floor at Thursday’s practice and brushed it off, saying “I played like trash,” Bobby Krivitsky reported. Robinson also gets his first game against the Knicks, the team he spent his whole career with before this season. It is the Celtics’ first home game of the season.
Hawks at Hornets, 7 p.m. ET
Two 1-0 teams meet in Charlotte’s home opener, and every fan gets a T-shirt. Atlanta won 132-125 in Orlando in a game with 22 lead changes. Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 31 and hit two threes in the final 90 seconds, Jalen Johnson had 20 points and 14 rebounds, and Dyson Daniels added 20 points and five steals. The Hawks are without Mouhamed Gueye, who had surgery on a fractured left foot, and Henri Veesaar, who is out for the season with a torn right ACL. They play their own home opener against Houston on Saturday.
Charlotte beat Brooklyn 110-103 without Coby White (calf), Grant Williams (hamstring), Kylan Boswell (knee) and Kon Knueppel (hamstring), who has returned to individual on-court work. Grayson Allen scored 21 off the bench, and Naz Reid had 20 points and 11 rebounds in his Hornets debut.
Mavericks at Pacers, 7 p.m. ET
This is Tyrese Haliburton’s first home game that counts since Game 6 of the 2025 Finals. He missed all of last season with a torn right Achilles, then had 23 points and 12 assists in Wednesday’s 123-120 win in New Orleans, with 13 of the points in the fourth quarter. Pascal Siakam scored 30. The Pacers have made the night a Gold Out, with a gold T-shirt and an Indiana-shaped net for every fan. Aaron Nesmith (hamstring) and T.J. McConnell (right hamstring strain) sat out on Wednesday.
Dallas lost 128-110 in Houston despite 32 points from Cooper Flagg, and Kyrie Irving scored 15 in his return. The Mavericks were short-handed: Dereck Lively II (foot), Santi Aldama (knee), Caleb Martin (right thumb sprain), Jett Howard (right calf) and Tarik Biberovic (heel) all missed the opener. Dallas hosts San Antonio on Saturday.
Timberwolves at Magic, 7 p.m. ET
Anthony Edwards comes off 45 points and a franchise opening-night record nine threes in a 131-106 win in Miami, and LaMelo Ball added 21. Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles) is still out.
Orlando lost its home opener 132-125 to Atlanta even with 35 points and 10 assists from Paolo Banchero. The Magic were without Anthony Black (right ankle sprain) and Jonathan Isaac (knee) on Wednesday, Noah Penda has a partially torn right hamstring, and Izaiyah Nelson is still working back from ankle surgery. Jamal Cain limped off late on Wednesday, and the team had not given an update. The better news came at Thursday’s practice, which was mostly a walkthrough: Black was a full participant and got shots up afterward, Sean Sweeney said, and Isaac played some two-on-two after the session, Jason Beede reported.
Raptors at Wizards, 7 p.m. ET
Both teams are 1-0 after home wins. Kawhi Leonard scored 23 with six rebounds and four steals in his first game back with Toronto, and the Raptors never trailed against Chicago. Washington’s 128-116 win over Milwaukee came with 34 points and 12 rebounds from Davis and 20 points and 13 assists from Trae Young. The Wizards will again be without AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 pick, who missed his debut with a left ankle sprain. Brian Keefe said on Thursday that Dybantsa will not play against Toronto and remains day-to-day, Greg Finberg reported. Tristan Vukcevic (hip) and Jamir Watkins (ACL) are also out, and Toronto’s Nate Bittle (foot) missed the opener. The Wizards play in Chicago on Saturday.
Pistons at Heat, 8 p.m. ET (3 a.m. Saturday in Cairo)
Detroit has not played since its comeback against Boston on Tuesday, when Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren scored 22 each during the 23-0 fourth-quarter run. Taurean Prince missed that game for personal reasons. Miami lost by 25 to Minnesota, but Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 35 points were the most by a Heat player in a team debut, passing the 31 LeBron James scored in his first Miami game in 2010. The Heat play in Charlotte on Saturday.
Rockets at Spurs, 9:30 p.m. ET (4:30 a.m. Saturday in Cairo)
The second Prime Video game is at Moody Center in Austin. Houston won the second quarter 38-12 on its way to a 128-110 win over Dallas, with 30 points each from Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. Alperen Sengun had 23 and 10 after a brief lower-back scare, and Steven Adams (right calf) did not play. San Antonio lost 116-104 to Oklahoma City on Tuesday in the rematch of last season’s West finals, with Victor Wembanyama going 1-for-13. Tobias Harris (calf) was not ready for the opener, and Dylan Harper (right ankle) is the Spurs’ other name to watch. Both teams play again on Saturday, the Rockets in Atlanta and the Spurs in Dallas.
Pelicans at Jazz, 9:30 p.m. ET
Utah’s home opener tips at 7:30 p.m. local time, with a free plaza party from 4 p.m. Both teams are 0-1. The Jazz lost 123-103 in Memphis, where Ty Jerome scored 45 against them, and Keyonte George led Utah with 22. Tony Bradley (left quadriceps strain) and Trey Alexander (left knee bone bruise) sat out, and Jusuf Nurkic is out for at least four weeks with a toe injury. New Orleans lost 123-120 at home after Indiana rallied in the fourth quarter, and the Pelicans play in Denver on Saturday.
Grizzlies at Warriors, 10 p.m. ET (5 a.m. Saturday in Cairo)
Ty Jerome’s 45 points on 17-of-25 shooting were the most by a Grizzlies player in a season opener. Memphis played without Isaiah Stewart (left ankle sprain). Golden State, beaten 127-105 by the Lakers, opens at Chase Center with a shirt for every fan, but the roster is thin. Kristaps Porzingis will not be around the team for the immediate future, Brandin Podziemski (back) and Charles Bassey (knee) sat out on Wednesday, and Jimmy Butler III (ACL) and Moses Moody (patellar tendon) are months away. Stephen Curry played through right ankle soreness. The Warriors are in Phoenix on Saturday.
Clippers at Lakers, 10 p.m. ET
Both Los Angeles teams are 1-0 after blowouts. Walker Kessler made all 12 of his shots for 26 points in his Lakers debut, and Luka Dončić had 28, 8 rebounds and 7 assists, including a 49-foot buzzer-beater at halftime, in the 127-105 win over Golden State. The worry is Jake LaRavia, who rolled his right ankle late in that game. JJ Redick said afterward that he felt more positive about it than when it happened. Collin Sexton (right calf) sat as a precaution, and Cameron Carr (oblique) and Adou Thiero (knee) are day-to-day.
The Clippers never trailed in a 121-96 win over Sacramento. Darius Garland scored 30, 16 of them in the first quarter, and Brook Lopez had 17 and 11 off the bench. Bradley Beal (knee), Brandon Ingram (Achilles), Max Strus (foot), Yanic Konan Niederhauser (foot) and Jordan Miller (shoulder) are all out.
Trail Blazers at Kings, 10 p.m. ET
Portland opened on a 21-0 run and routed Phoenix 124-83. Damian Lillard scored 25 with six threes in his first regular-season game since March 2025, Ja Morant scored 14 in his Blazers debut, and Deni Avdija played through right ankle soreness. Chris Youngblood (left ankle) and Branden Carlson (concussion) sat out, and Shaedon Sharpe (knee) is out long term.
Sacramento’s home opener comes with a shirt and a schedule magnet for every fan. The Kings lost 121-96 to the Clippers despite 28 points from Zach LaVine and 18 rebounds from Domantas Sabonis. Malik Monk (left ankle soreness) missed that game, Ben Simmons had surgery this week on a torn right Achilles, and centers Dylan Cardwell (calf) and Maxime Raynaud (knee) are expected to miss at least the first five or six games.
What comes next
Saturday has eight games, starting with Heat at Hornets at 6 p.m. ET (1 a.m. Sunday in Cairo) and including the home openers for Cleveland, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Denver and Phoenix. Giveaways for every opener are in our home-openers guide, and the rest of the week, with every Game Center, is in the opening-week schedule. Thursday’s games are in our Thursday preview.
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