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Miami Heat at Charlotte Hornets
2026-27 · Regular season
Saturday NBA preview: all 8 games with tip times in ET and Cairo, six home openers and who’s out
Saturday has eight games and six home openers, from Heat at Hornets at 6 p.m. ET (1 a.m. Sunday in Cairo) to Warriors at Suns at 10 p.m. ET (5 a.m.). LeBron James and Cooper Flagg are out, and Stephen Curry is not expected to play. Here is every tip time, TV and who is out.
In this article
Saturday, October 24, has eight games and six home openers. Cleveland, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Denver and Phoenix all play their first home game of the season, and Philadelphia hosts Milwaukee without LeBron James, who has been ruled out. The first tip is Heat at Hornets at 6 p.m. ET, which is 1 a.m. Sunday in Cairo, and the last is Warriors at Suns at 10 p.m. ET, or 5 a.m. Sunday in Cairo. Every Saturday game tips after midnight in Cairo.
It is also the first big back-to-back night of the season. Eleven teams played on Friday and play again on Saturday: Miami, Charlotte, Milwaukee, Washington, Chicago, San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, New Orleans and Golden State. Bucks at 76ers and Warriors at Suns are on NBA TV in the United States, and the other six are on local TV and NBA League Pass. Updated Saturday afternoon: availability notes below follow the league’s official injury report as of 2 p.m. ET Saturday (9 p.m. in Cairo), when San Antonio, Dallas, New Orleans and Golden State had not yet filed. Dallas has since ruled out Cooper Flagg. Our Saturday injury report has every team’s list, and our injuries page tracks changes before tip.
Saturday’s 8 games at a glance
| Game | Tip (ET, Sat) | Tip (Cairo) | US TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Heat at Charlotte Hornets | 6:00 p.m. | 1:00 a.m. Sun | Local TV |
| Brooklyn Nets at Cleveland Cavaliers | 7:30 p.m. | 2:30 a.m. Sun | Local TV |
| Milwaukee Bucks at Philadelphia 76ers | 7:30 p.m. | 2:30 a.m. Sun | NBA TV |
| Washington Wizards at Chicago Bulls | 8:00 p.m. | 3:00 a.m. Sun | Local TV |
| San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks | 8:00 p.m. | 3:00 a.m. Sun | Local TV |
| Houston Rockets at Atlanta Hawks | 8:30 p.m. | 3:30 a.m. Sun | Local TV |
| New Orleans Pelicans at Denver Nuggets | 9:00 p.m. | 4:00 a.m. Sun | Local TV |
| Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns | 10:00 p.m. | 5:00 a.m. Sun | NBA TV |
Cairo is on UTC+3 until the end of October, seven hours ahead of New York. Rockets at Hawks tips at 8:30 p.m. ET, not 8 p.m., which is 3:30 a.m. Sunday in Cairo.
Heat at Hornets, 6 p.m. ET (1 a.m. Sunday in Cairo)
Both teams are on the second night of a back-to-back, and both are coming off bad losses. Miami is 0-2 after a 128-111 home loss to Detroit on Friday, when the Pistons scored 41 points in the first quarter and never trailed. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 36 points and 12 rebounds, but no other Heat player scored more than 18, and Miami went 15-of-51 from three.
Charlotte’s night was worse. The Hornets lost 128-81 at home to Atlanta, the largest win in Hawks history, and the sellout crowd booed them. Atlanta forced 27 turnovers, Charlotte made 11 of 51 threes, and Brandon Miller, who signed a five-year, $209 million extension this week, went 2-of-14. Kon Knueppel (left hamstring strain), Coby White (left calf strain), Grant Williams (right hamstring strain) and Kylan Boswell (right knee surgery) are out again on Saturday, and Christian Anderson is probable with a left ankle sprain. Miami lists only Pelle Larsson, probable with a left finger sprain.
Nets at Cavaliers, 7:30 p.m. ET (2:30 a.m. Sunday in Cairo)
Cleveland’s home opener comes two nights after it led Philadelphia 69-40 late in the first half and lost 114-106. The Cavaliers turned it over 21 times, about two-thirds of them after halftime, and Donovan Mitchell scored 32. “Listen, it’s one of 82,” Kenny Atkinson said afterward. “We’ll bounce back and get ready for Brooklyn.” His full answers on the collapse are here. Khalifa Diop (left knee injury management) and Nae’Qwan Tomlin (low back stress reaction) are out, and Ernest Udeh Jr. is with the G League team on his two-way deal.
Brooklyn has not played since Wednesday, when it lost 110-103 in Charlotte despite 33 points from Julius Randle, who has said these Nets have no reason to tank. Tyler Bilodeau (right shoulder sprain) is out. The Nets host Indiana on Sunday.
Bucks at 76ers, 7:30 p.m. ET (2:30 a.m. Sunday in Cairo)
Philadelphia is 2-0 and starts its first back-to-back of the season. LeBron James has been ruled out with what the team lists as low back and sciatica management, after he was questionable on the overnight report. He was not on the report for either of the first two games and had 17 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in Thursday’s comeback over Cleveland. Joel Embiid is not listed. He said after that game, “I’m playing one of them,” meaning Saturday’s game or Sunday’s home game against Detroit. With James out on Saturday, that points to Embiid playing against Milwaukee and sitting against Detroit, though the team has not confirmed it. Dean Wade is questionable with a left ankle sprain, and Dominick Barlow (low back stress reaction), Tacko Fall (left quadriceps strain) and Ariel Hukporti (right Achilles tendon tear) are out. Embiid’s night after the 29-point comeback is here.
Milwaukee is 0-2 and on the second night of a back-to-back. The Bucks lost 132-125 at home to Chicago on Friday, in a game moved up four hours for the World Series, after Tyler Herro scored 34 in his first home game for them. Milwaukee went 14-of-26 at the free-throw line and committed 19 turnovers. The Bucks list no injuries for Saturday, so every player is available.
Wizards at Bulls, 8 p.m. ET (3 a.m. Sunday in Cairo)
Chicago’s home opener follows its first win. Norman Powell scored 25 and rookie Caleb Wilson had 21, 19 of them after halftime, in Friday’s 132-125 win in Milwaukee, and the Bulls’ bench outscored the Bucks’ 59-35. Interim coach Tiago Splitter said he does not plan to change the starting lineup, even after Tre Jones (plus-24) and Isaac Okoro closed the game ahead of Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis. Our Bulls notes have more on Giddey’s wrist and Dailyn Swain’s G League minutes.
Washington is 1-1 after a 112-102 loss to Toronto on Friday. Trae Young had 22 points and 12 assists, but Anthony Davis scored 9 on 3-of-12 shooting two nights after his 34-point Wizards debut, and Washington turned it over 23 times. Both teams are on the second night of a back-to-back. Chicago has ruled out Nic Claxton with a left hamstring strain and lists Noa Essengue as probable with a head contusion. Washington has AJ Dybantsa (left ankle sprain), Tristan Vukcevic (left hip impingement) and Jamir Watkins (left ACL surgery) out.
Spurs at Mavericks, 8 p.m. ET (3 a.m. Sunday in Cairo)
Dallas will open at home without Cooper Flagg. He left Friday’s 121-105 win in Indiana with left shoulder soreness after a hard foul by Aaron Nesmith late in the first half. On Saturday the Mavericks said an MRI showed a mild left shoulder sprain, and he is out against San Antonio and will be re-evaluated next week. Flagg had 14 points, 6 assists and 3 steals in 17 minutes before he left. Kyrie Irving scored 24 and Dallas led by as many as 37. Our injury notes have the details of Friday’s foul.
San Antonio is 0-2 after Amen Thompson blocked Victor Wembanyama in the final second of a 114-110 loss to Houston in Austin on Friday. Wembanyama had 25 points and 13 rebounds, and De’Aaron Fox, upgraded to available before the game, played 34 minutes on his sprained right wrist and scored 19. Both teams are on a back-to-back, and neither had filed its official report at 2 p.m. ET.
Rockets at Hawks, 8:30 p.m. ET (3:30 a.m. Sunday in Cairo)
Two 2-0 teams meet in Atlanta’s home opener. The Hawks beat Orlando 132-125 on Wednesday and then won 128-81 in Charlotte, with Dyson Daniels getting 7 steals and Jalen Johnson 19 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds. Atlanta had 17 steals and 37 assists in the rout. Mouhamed Gueye (left foot fracture) and Henri Veesaar (torn right ACL, out for the season) are out, and two-way players RayJ Dennis, Keshon Gilbert and Jalen Wilson are questionable because of G League assignments.
Houston beat Dallas 128-110 on Wednesday and San Antonio on Friday, when Alperen Sengun scored 29, Kevin Durant had 20 and Thompson’s block sealed it. The Rockets are on the second night of a back-to-back and have ruled out Fred VanVleet (right knee injury management) and Steven Adams (left ankle injury management). Reed Sheppard is questionable with a left knee contusion and bone bruise.
Pelicans at Nuggets, 9 p.m. ET (4 a.m. Sunday in Cairo)
Denver opens at Ball Arena after a 96-84 loss in Oklahoma City on Thursday, when it turned the ball over 22 times and Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray went a combined 7-of-30. The Nuggets have ruled out Cam Johnson with the right ankle sprain he suffered in that game, and Alpha Diallo, who started the second half in his place, is questionable with a right wrist sprain. Spencer Jones (bilateral hamstring injury management) and Julian Strawther (left knee sprain) are out again.
New Orleans is 0-2, with both losses by one possession, after a 120-119 loss in Utah on Friday. The bigger worry is Yves Missi, who was carried off with a left knee injury in the second quarter. Coach Jamahl Mosley said the team would get a look at it in Denver on Saturday, with Derik Queen in line to start if Missi misses time. The Pelicans had not filed their report at 2 p.m. ET, and there was no official word yet on Missi’s exam.
Warriors at Suns, 10 p.m. ET (5 a.m. Sunday in Cairo)
Phoenix’s home opener is its first game since a 124-83 loss in Portland on Wednesday. Oso Ighodaro is doubtful with a right oblique strain from that game, and coach Jordan Ott said on Friday, “He’ll be out for sure tomorrow.” Luke Kennard is questionable with left knee tendinopathy, and Mark Williams is out after left shoulder surgery.
Golden State is 0-2 after Memphis closed on a 17-0 run to win 111-108 at Chase Center on Friday. The Warriors led 106-94 with 3:47 left and did not make another field goal. Stephen Curry scored 24. They are on the second night of a back-to-back and had not filed a report at 2 p.m. ET, but Curry said after Friday’s loss that he would “probably not” play, and Brandin Podziemski, who tweaked his back in that game, is not expected to play either. Our Warriors note has more.
What comes next
Sunday has seven games, starting with Lakers at Jazz at 5 p.m. ET (12 a.m. Monday in Cairo) and including Pistons at 76ers, where Embiid’s choice of game will be clear. Raptors at Timberwolves, a meeting of two 2-0 teams, is on NBA TV. Giveaways for Saturday’s openers are in our home-openers guide, every Game Center for the week is in the opening-week schedule, and Friday’s games are in our Friday preview.
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