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Atlanta Hawks at Orlando Magic
2026-27 · Regular season
Thursday NBA preview: Cavaliers-76ers and Nuggets-Thunder tip times in ET and Cairo, and who’s out
Thursday is a two-game night on ESPN: Cavaliers at 76ers at 7 p.m. ET (2 a.m. Friday in Cairo) and Nuggets at Thunder at 9:30 p.m. ET (4:30 a.m.). Here is the injury picture and what to watch in both season-opening games for Cleveland and Denver.
In this article
After an 11-game Wednesday, the NBA drops to two games on Thursday, October 22, and both are on ESPN in the United States. The Cleveland Cavaliers open their season at the Philadelphia 76ers at 7 p.m. ET, which is 2 a.m. Friday in Cairo, and the Denver Nuggets open theirs at the Oklahoma City Thunder at 9:30 p.m. ET, or 4:30 a.m. Friday in Cairo. Both are home openers, and both home teams won on the road on opening night.
The availability notes below reflect what teams and coaches said through Tuesday. The league’s first official injury report for Thursday’s games had not been filed when this preview was put together, so late changes are possible. For giveaways and arena details, see our home-openers guide for Thursday to Sunday.
Thursday’s two games at a glance
| Game | Tip (ET, Thu) | Tip (Cairo, Fri) | US TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers | 7:00 p.m. | 2:00 a.m. | ESPN |
| Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder | 9:30 p.m. | 4:30 a.m. | ESPN |
Cairo is on UTC+3 until the end of October, seven hours ahead of New York. Oklahoma City’s tip is 8:30 p.m. local time.
Cavaliers at 76ers, 7 p.m. ET
Philadelphia comes home 1-0 after a 106-100 win at Madison Square Garden on the Knicks’ ring night. Tyrese Maxey scored 28 with 5 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks, Jaylen Brown had 19 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in his first game for the team, and LeBron James started his 24th season with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Joel Embiid added 13 points and 11 rebounds. Our game story has the full recap.
Nick Nurse’s bench is still thin. Dean Wade (left ankle sprain) sat out the opener and is day-to-day. Tacko Fall (hip) was also out on Tuesday, Dominick Barlow is out for at least two weeks with a lumbar spine bone stress response, and Ariel Hukporti is out for the season with a ruptured right Achilles. Anfernee Simons and Adem Bona were both cleared for the opener, and Simons hit three threes off the bench.
Cleveland plays its first game of the season. Kenny Atkinson has said he will not name his 10-man rotation until game time. Sam Merrill (right elbow), who missed the last two tune-ups, went through a full practice on Tuesday, Atkinson said. Nae’Qwan Tomlin is out with a lower back stress reaction and will be reevaluated in three to four weeks, and big man Khalifa Diop is day-to-day with a left knee injury. The game to watch inside it is James Harden with Evan Mobley, a pick-and-roll pairing Atkinson plans to lean on, next to Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen. Summer addition Peyton Watson is also in the mix on the wing.
Both teams lost to New York in last spring’s playoffs. The Knicks swept Philadelphia in the second round and also ended Cleveland’s season on the way to the title.
Nuggets at Thunder, 9:30 p.m. ET
Oklahoma City opened with a 116-104 win at San Antonio, the team that beat it in seven games in last season’s Western Conference finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 32 and extended his record run of 20-point games to 141. Jared McCain hit six threes on the way to 20 points, rookie Aday Mara made plays at both ends in his NBA debut, and the Thunder held Victor Wembanyama to 1-of-13 shooting.
Chet Holmgren played in the opener after missing the preseason with a quadriceps contusion. Thomas Sorber (right knee surgery) and Nikola Topić (low back surgery) were out on Tuesday, and Otega Oweh is out for the season after Achilles surgery. Cason Wallace, two days into a five-year, $139 million extension, is expected to fill the starting wing spot that Lu Dort left when he was traded to Atlanta.
Denver had the league’s best offense last season, and it opens this one on the road. Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray lead a group that now includes DeMar DeRozan and Cameron Johnson. Julian Strawther is out with a left knee sprain and will be reevaluated in about six weeks. Spencer Jones, who missed the whole preseason with a left hamstring strain, said on Sunday that he is on track to play. David Adelman has said he may use as many as 11 players early in the season, with Trevon Brazile, Bryce Hopkins and Cam Whitmore in line for minutes.
What comes next
Friday has 12 games. It starts with Bulls at Bucks at 4 p.m. ET, 11 p.m. Friday in Cairo, a start moved up for the Brewers’ World Series opener. Knicks at Celtics and Rockets at Spurs are the Prime Video games, at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. ET (2 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. Saturday in Cairo). Wednesday’s games are in our Wednesday preview, and the full week, with every Game Center, is in our opening-week schedule.
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