NBA Preseason 2026: Fixtures, Schedule, Start Date & Betting

In the lead-up to the 2026/2027 season, the NBA is conducting its preseason games. The NBA preseason schedule runs from Saturday, 3 October to Friday, 16 October. All 30 teams will take part in it before the regular season takes off on Tuesday, 20 October.

If you’re wondering when the NBA preseason starts in the UK, the tip off took place around midnight BST, on Sunday, 4 October. The very first game featured the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat and ended with a 129-105 score, with Miami Heat winning. They played at the Videotron Centre in Québec City, Canada. Interestingly, this was the first ever NBA game to take place in Québec. 

In this article we will cover the fixture list and schedule for the entire preseason, talk about the international games in Canada and Macao, explain how to watch the games in the UK and how betting on preseason games differs from the regular season.

When Does the NBA Preseason Start?

Every NBA season officially starts with training camps. This is where teams prepare both physically and tactically for the regular season. In 2026, the training camps had two opening dates. The teams that will travel internationally for the games began their training on 22 September, others commenced on 29 September. 

The official NBA preseason start took place on Saturday, 3 October and featured only one game between Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat. The final 12 games of the season will be held on Friday, 16 October.

Once the preseason is over, teams must finalise their rosters by Monday, 19 October 5 pm EDT. This is a league-wide deadline. The regular season will then tip off on Tuesday, 20 October.

Below we present the overall schedule of the 2026/2027 NBA season.

NBA Preseason 2026 Schedule and Fixtures (UK Times)

Most NBA preseason fixtures of the 2026/2027 season will be played in North America. For the UK viewers this means that the regular tip-off times will typically fall between midnight and 3:30 am, depending on the game.

In the table below you will find a detailed NBA preseason schedule from Saturday, 3 October to Friday, 16 October. For your convenience, we included both the US and the UK tip off times for each game.

NBA Preseason Global Games 2026

The 2026/2027 NBA season continues the league’s long-running tradition and takes some of its preseason and regular season action on the road. This year, the league’s global games will be played in Canada, Macao, and Europe, giving the international fanbase the chance to see their favourite teams in person.

The Macao and Europe games are particularly appealing for the UK audience because the tip off times will be more viewer-friendly than the typical North American schedule.  

NBA Canada Games

• Toronto Raptors vs Miami Heat, Québec City, Canada, 3 October 2026
• Toronto Raptors vs LA Clippers, Vancouver, Canada, 10 October 2026

The very first game of the preseason took place in Canada. It featured the only Canadian NBA team, Toronto Raptors, playing against Miami Heat. The Raptors will also play another game on their home soil, this time against the LA Clippers.

NBA Macao Games

• Houston Rockets vs Dallas Mavericks, Macao, 9 October 2026
• Dallas Mavericks vs Houston Rockets, Macao, 11 October 2026

Both games in Macao will feature Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks. Considering the time difference, they will tip off at more viewer-friendly times for the UK audience.

NBA Games in Europe

• New Orleans Pelicans vs San Antonio Spurs, Paris, France, 14 January 2027
• San Antonio Spurs vs New Orleans Pelicans, Manchester, United Kingdom, 17 January 2027

These games fall into the regular season schedule. Unlike the preseason fixtures in Canada and Macao, the results will count towards the teams’ regular-season records.

How Many NBA Preseason Games Are There?

During the preseason, each team typically plays around 4 to 6 games. The number may change every season and depends on a number of factors.

For the 2026 preseason, a total of 67 games have been confirmed. Most teams will play either four or five games each. Three teams will play 6 games each. These are the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and San Antonio Spurs. Two teams will play 3 games each during the preseason. These are the Indiana Pacers and the LA Clippers. Only one team will play 2 games, namely the Houston Rockets.

The NBA preseason games don’t count towards the regular season results. Instead, they serve as a test for teams to try out and evaluate their rosters and rotations, assess new signings and rookies, as well as manage star players’ minutes.  

Where to Watch NBA Preseason Games in the UK

If you would prefer to watch as many NBA 2026/2027 preseason games as possible, the most reliable way is the official NBA League Pass. A season pass will give you access to every game. You can watch them either live or on demand. You can even watch up to 4 games at once with multiview if their schedules coincide. 

Sky Sports will broadcast selected live games and highlights on its Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports+ channels. However, this will mostly apply to the regular season games, and the official listings haven’t been finalised yet. Some of the games will be covered on Amazon Prime Video available in the UK. 

NBA Preseason Betting: How It Works

The NBA preseason is open to betting. Many bookmakers offer a selection of markets on the games. The usual principles and mechanisms of sports betting work here the same way they work in any other sport, but there are still a number of things that set NBA preseason betting apart from the regular season betting.

As we mentioned before, preseason games have no bearing on the season standings. This is a phase where coaches get to experiment with lineups, test new signings and rookies, and evaluate their rosters. Because of this, game results can be much less predictable.

Star players often make up a big part of the regular season betting. However, in the preseason they often play only a limited amount of minutes or sometimes can sit out the game completely. This definitely affects how the game will unfold and how betting outcomes might play out.

Bookmakers generally publish NBA preseason betting odds within 12 to 24 hours before each game. While individual games during the regular season tend to follow the same timeline, win totals can often get out in June or July. At the same time, Championship futures, MVP, and major award futures can appear as early as right after the previous season finals.

Keep in mind that it is common to offer fewer betting markets on the preseason games. These often include:

• Moneyline (aka match winner): you place your wager on the team you think is more likely of the two to win the game. 
• Handicap (aka points spread): you place your wager on a margin by which the favourite team has to win or the underdog team can lose.
• Total points (aka over/under): you place your wager on whether the total sum of points scored by both teams during the game will be over (more) or under (less) than a certain number.
• Player markets: you place your wager on one or several typical props per player, like total points, total rebounds, etc. The selection will be more limited than during the regular season betting because star players tend to play only a limited amount of minutes.

Things to Consider Before Betting on NBA Preseason Games

If you are betting on any of the NBA preseason betting markets, there are several things you need to take into consideration to make informed decisions and practice responsible gambling.

• Check team news and minutes restrictions before tip-off. Appearance of a star player will greatly influence both the offered odds and the outcome of the game. At the same time, if the coach decides to bring out more rookies on the field, the result may be more unpredictable.
• Squad depth can matter more than star players. Unlike star players who only play for a limited time, bench players often get extended minutes. In this case, a team with a deeper squad has higher chances of winning than a team with a star-studded but otherwise shallow squad.
• Reserves often get more playing time. Coaches commonly limit or sit their starters after the first half. How the game will develop from that point onward will heavily depend on who stays on the court and which reserves and bench players take over.
• Long trips can affect team rotations and performance. This can be particularly relevant for both domestic and international travel, as the visiting team may have little time to recover after the trip. Fatigue can then influence how coaches manage their rotations and how the team performs during the game.
• Preseason form is not always a reliable indicator of regular season performance. Preseason is a time when coaches test their new players, try out different rotations, and experiment with rosters. At the same time, star players typically play fewer minutes during the preseason than they would generally during the regular season.

FAQ

When does the NBA preseason start in 2026?

It started on Saturday, 3 October 2026. For the UK audiences, this was early hours of Sunday, 4 October, with the tip off happening around midnight BST.

When does the NBA preseason end?

The final preseason games will take place on Friday, 16 October 2026. For the UK audiences, this will cross over into Saturday, 17 October. The regular season will then start on Tuesday, 20 October.

Do NBA preseason games count?

No, preseason results do not count towards the regular season results. Instead, teams use this period to test out new signings and rookies, evaluate rosters and new rotations, as well as manage star players’ minutes. 

Can you bet on NBA preseason games?

Yes, many bookmakers offer markets on a selection of preseason games. However, the number of betting markets might be smaller than in the regular season.

Betting is only available to participants above 18 years. Please bet responsibly. BeGambleAware.org