Scheduled
New York Knicks at Boston Celtics
2026-27 · Regular season
NBA’s Veterans Day week, Nov. 9-15: Hoops for Troops nights, Cup Night 3 and every giveaway
Veterans Day week brings Hoops for Troops nights in Detroit, Golden State, Milwaukee and Phoenix, military appreciation nights in Memphis, Houston and Minnesota, a Bucks lap blanket, a Suns camo hat and Cup Night 3 on Nov. 13. Every NBA themed night and giveaway from Nov. 9 to 15, with Cairo tip times.
In this article
Oct. 23, 2026 — Veterans Day falls on Wednesday, Nov. 11, and NBA arenas spend the week around it saluting the military. Between Monday, Nov. 9, and Sunday, Nov. 15, there are Hoops for Troops nights in Detroit, San Francisco, Milwaukee and Phoenix, military appreciation nights in Memphis, Houston and Minneapolis, a Veterans Day game in Chicago, a lap blanket in Milwaukee and a camo hat in Phoenix. Friday, Nov. 13, is also the season’s third NBA Cup Night. Here is every themed night and giveaway that week, with local and Cairo tip times.
The week before, Nov. 4 to Nov. 8, has the second Cup Night, LeBron James’ first game in Cleveland as a 76er and the Mexico City Game. The Halloween stretch is in our Halloween week guide, and the first Cup Night on Oct. 30 has its own guide.
Every themed night, Nov. 9 to Nov. 15
Tip times come from the league schedule. Egypt and the U.S. are both on standard time in November, so Cairo is seven hours ahead of the East Coast and 10 hours ahead of the West Coast, and most evening games tip between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. Cairo time the next day.
| Date | Game | Tip (local) | Cairo time | Night / giveaway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon., Nov. 9 | Wizards at Pistons | 7 p.m. ET | Tue 2:00 a.m. | Hoops for Troops |
| Mon., Nov. 9 | Pelicans at Warriors | 7 p.m. PT | Tue 5:00 a.m. | Hoops for Troops (group ticket package with a special item) |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | Spurs at Bulls | 7 p.m. CT | Thu 3:00 a.m. | Veterans Day Game |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | Lakers at Bucks | 7 p.m. CT | Thu 3:00 a.m. | Hoops for Troops: lap blanket giveaway |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | Nuggets at Grizzlies | 7 p.m. CT | Thu 3:00 a.m. | Military Appreciation Night |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | Warriors at Rockets | 8:30 p.m. CT | Thu 4:30 a.m. | Military Appreciation Night |
| Thu., Nov. 12 | Mavericks at Timberwolves | 7 p.m. CT | Fri 3:00 a.m. | Military Appreciation baseball jersey (ticket package) |
| Thu., Nov. 12 | Hornets at Suns | 7 p.m. MST | Fri 4:00 a.m. | Hoops for Troops: camo hat for first 5,000 fans |
| Fri., Nov. 13 | Grizzlies at Pelicans | 7 p.m. CT | Sat 3:00 a.m. | Cup Night: T-shirt for first 6,000 fans |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Mavericks at Cavaliers | 7:30 p.m. ET | Sun 2:30 a.m. | 2016 title 10th Anniversary Celebration: championship mini banner |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Nets at Grizzlies | 7 p.m. CT | Sun 3:00 a.m. | Big Memphis Night |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Bulls at Timberwolves | 7 p.m. CT | Sun 3:00 a.m. | Sesame Street backpack (ticket package) |
| Sun., Nov. 15 | Knicks at Raptors | 6 p.m. ET | Mon 1:00 a.m. | Sunday Funday family activities |
A “ticket package” means the item only comes with a special ticket bought for that game, not with a regular seat. Everything else is handed out at the doors or built into the game presentation.
Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day
Ten games are on the Veterans Day schedule, and four of the home teams have built their night around it. Milwaukee has the busiest one. Lakers-Bucks at Fiserv Forum is the Bucks’ Hoops for Troops game, presented by WE Energies, and fans in attendance get a lap blanket while supplies last. It is one of the six fan-pitched items on the Bucks’ calendar: the idea came from a fan named Latia W. of Milwaukee in the team’s giveaway contest (Bucks giveaways).
Memphis makes Nuggets-Grizzlies its Military Appreciation Night, presented by Ford and the Mid-South Ford Dealers, five days after its HBCU Night on Cup Night 2. The Grizzlies host again on Saturday against Brooklyn for a Big Memphis Night (Grizzlies giveaways).
Houston holds its Military Appreciation Night, one of the Rockets’ Celebration Nights, against Golden State. The arena lists it as presented by Anheuser-Busch, with Michelob ULTRA as the brand, and promises more details closer to the game. Doors open at 7 p.m. for the 8:30 p.m. CT tip, which is 4:30 a.m. Thursday in Cairo, and the game is on national TV in the U.S. Chicago plays its Veterans Day Game against San Antonio at the United Center, presented by BMO, with Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs in town.
The other national game that night is Cavaliers-Knicks at Madison Square Garden at 7 p.m. ET, 2 a.m. Thursday in Cairo. Neither New York nor Toronto, which hosts Boston, has listed a theme for the night.
Hoops for Troops in Detroit, San Francisco and Phoenix
Detroit opens the week with Hoops for Troops when Washington visits on Monday. It is one of the Pistons’ community nights and has no giveaway on the calendar; the same game is also the team’s Fourth Wing Night for group-ticket buyers (Pistons giveaways). Later that night, Golden State holds its own Hoops for Troops against New Orleans, with a special giveaway item for group-ticket holders (Warriors giveaways).
Phoenix has the best free item of the week. Thursday’s game against Charlotte is Hoops for Troops, powered by Sun Auto Network, in honor of active and retired military members across the Valley, and the first 5,000 fans get a camo hat. Doors at Mortgage Matchup Center open 75 minutes before the 7 p.m. tip (Suns theme nights).
Minnesota marks the week the same night against Dallas, but its Military Appreciation baseball jersey only comes with a special ticket package, as does the Wolves Night Out event that night. Saturday’s Bulls game at Target Center has a Sesame Street backpack, also by package only (Timberwolves promo schedule).
Friday, Nov. 13: Cup Night 3
Nine group-play games make up the third NBA Cup Night; the groups and the full calendar are in our NBA Cup groups guide. Two are on Prime Video: Knicks-Pacers at 7 p.m. ET, 2 a.m. Saturday in Cairo, and Warriors-Spurs at 8:30 p.m. CT, 4:30 a.m. Cairo.
| Game | Tip (local) | Cairo time (Sat.) |
|---|---|---|
| Knicks at Pacers | 7 p.m. ET | 2:00 a.m. |
| Bucks at Magic | 7 p.m. ET | 2:00 a.m. |
| Cavaliers at Heat | 8 p.m. ET | 3:00 a.m. |
| Hawks at Bulls | 7 p.m. CT | 3:00 a.m. |
| Grizzlies at Pelicans | 7 p.m. CT | 3:00 a.m. |
| Jazz at Rockets | 7:30 p.m. CT | 3:30 a.m. |
| Warriors at Spurs | 8:30 p.m. CT | 4:30 a.m. |
| Trail Blazers at Kings | 7 p.m. PT | 5:00 a.m. |
| Thunder at Clippers | 7:30 p.m. PT | 5:30 a.m. |
New Orleans is the only Cup host with a giveaway listed so far: the first 6,000 fans at Grizzlies-Pelicans get a T-shirt, courtesy of Morris Bart (Pelicans promo calendar). The other eight hosts have not posted Cup Night plans yet.
Saturday and Sunday
Cleveland holds the second of its three 10th Anniversary Celebrations of the 2016 title on Saturday against Dallas, a night after the Cavaliers play their Cup game in Miami. This one has a 2016 championship mini banner giveaway, and the team also sells a special 10th Anniversary Plan ticket package for it. The third celebration, with a Matthew Dellavedova bobblehead, is Dec. 12 against Golden State (Cavaliers promo schedule). On Sunday, Toronto runs a Sunday Funday for the Knicks’ visit, with family activities around Scotiabank Arena, at 6 p.m. ET, 1 a.m. Monday in Cairo.
Before you go
First-5,000 and first-6,000 giveaways usually run out before tip, so arrive when doors open, normally 60 to 90 minutes early. Several teams, including the Knicks, Celtics, 76ers and Hawks, have not published theme nights for this week, and Cup Night hosts often add promotions late, so check the team or arena game page on the day. All the season’s big dates, from the Cup final to the trade deadline, are in our 2026-27 key dates guide.
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