Watch as the NBA tips off its season with star-studded tripleheader
Watch as the NBA tips off its season with star-studded tripleheader
The NBA season starts Tuesday with a trio of marquee games! Find out how to watch each contest here.
It’s finally arrived, NBA fans. The 2026-27 season’s opening day is Tuesday, Oct. 20, with a tripleheader of games scheduled for NBC and Peacock. Coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET with the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons, and you can see a complete schedule of the day’s games below. While there are multiple ways to watch the games on NBC, if you are looking for a live TV streaming service to watch the games, we recommend streaming them with a five-day free trial to DIRECTV. You can also stream it with one of the Peacock Premium subscriptions.
How to watch 2026-27 NBA Opening Night games
- When: Starting Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, at 3 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC
- Stream: Watch with a five-day free trial to DIRECTV or Peacock.
- From anywhere: Watch with a subscription to a VPN.
Everything you need to know about 2026-27 NBA opening night games
What’s the schedule of 2026-27 NBA opening night games?
| Date | Time (ET) | Game | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, Oct. 20 | 3 p.m. | Boston Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons | NBC, Peacock |
| 7 p.m. | Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks | NBC, Peacock | |
| 9:30 p.m. | Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs | NBC, Peacock |
Why watch 2026-27 NBA opening night games on DIRECTV?
When it comes to offering the most channels in streaming, every live TV streaming service is chasing DIRECTV. The platform offers the most of The Streamable’s top 35 cable channels, so if you are looking for a breadth of programming options, DIRECTV is a surefire hit. In addition, the streamer has the industry’s best guaranteed free trial. While others can roll out longer options depending on what time of year it is and what qualifications you meet as a customer, DIRECTV offers a five-day trial to all new users. So, if you are specifically looking to watch the opening night tripleheader, this is the option that makes the most sense.
But DIRECTV is able to offer an even more compelling package of channels for football fans. Earlier this year, DIRECTV launched its Genre Packs that allow people to pick curated channel lineups around central themes and genres, and for sports fans, that means the MySports Pack.
The MySports plan runs $65 a month after the aforementioned five-day free trial, which gives you a way to check out everything that it has to offer before having to pay a penny. However, currently, you can also save an additional $20 off for your first six months, so you will only pay $45 for the entire football season.
You’ll also get a bunch of great sports channels with MySports, including ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPNU, FS1, FS2, Golf Channel, MLB Network, NBA TV, NFL Network, NHL Network, SEC Network, TBS, TNT, and USA Network, and depending on your market, ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC.
These channels bring you an incredible selection of games from across pro and college sports, oh, and MySports also comes with a free ESPN Unlimited subscription. Pretty solid. All these channels and features are available for just $45, which is why it’s our favorite way to watch.
DIRECTV
DIRECTV is one of The Streamable’s top choices for the best live TV streaming service overall in 2026, especially for users who want the most channels or want to watch the most live sports. With an unbeatable lineup of local, news, sports, and entertainment channels, three main signature packages, an unlimited DVR, and 20 simultaneous streams at home, DIRECTV remains a premier choice for any cord-cutter.
Watch an NBA Opening Night preview
Can you watch 2026-27 NBA opening night games for free?
If you are just looking for a streaming service to watch these specific games and nothing else, there are options available for you. DIRECTV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, and YouTube TV all offer free trials, but they vary in length, so be wary. DIRECTV’s industry-leading trial runs for five days, while Hulu + Live TV’s is a solid three days.
Those are pretty straightforward, but when it comes to the sports-minded streamer Fubo, things can get a little complicated. As The Streamable’s expert David Satin discovered when signing up for the service, figuring out how long Fubo’s trial is — even as you are signing up — can be a bit difficult. Nonetheless, it will be at least one day, with the potential to be as many as seven, depending on a wide range of factors that Fubo does not share publicly.
The YouTube TV trial is said to be “up to two weeks,” but can be as short as two days. So it is difficult to ascertain what you are actually getting before you go through the sign-up process.
If you are looking to watch the game for free, I would recommend DIRECTV, because that streamer has the longest guaranteed free trial and gives you the best channel options.
| DIRECTV | Fubo | Hulu | Sling TV | YouTube TV | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Save with Sling | Free Trial | |||||
| $20.99 | $9.99 | $28.99 | $19.99 | $29.99 | $45.99 | $45.99 | $64.99 | ||
| NBC | + $19 | + $11 | + $61 | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
All the services you can use to watch 2026-27 NBA opening night
Fortunately for hoops fans, there are six different streaming services that will stream the game, so you have options to choose from if you don’t already subscribe to any of them. We discussed DIRECTV and the free trial options above, but there is one more, and it offers a different type of streaming arrangement.
In addition to the live TV streaming options, since the games are being broadcast on NBC, you will be able to stream it on Peacock’s two Premium tiers. Peacock Premium runs $11 per month while Premium Plus comes with additional features for $17 monthly.
Ultimately, there are tons of different ways to stream the game, and while we recommend DIRECTV as the best way to stream this game, you have plenty of options to find the platform that meets your needs.
Peacock
Peacock is a subscription video streaming service from NBCUniversal that includes original shows, blockbuster movies, and classic television series. Peacock is home to “Yellowstone,” “The Office,” and original hits like “Poker Face” and “Bel-Air.” You can also watch live sports and NBC programming, including the NFL, MLB, WWE, the Olympics, the Premier League, NASCAR, the French Open, college football and basketball, and the PGA Tour. Premium Plus subscribers can stream their local NBC feed in all 210 markets.
How to watch 2026-27 NBA Opening Night with a VPN
If you’ll be away from home and can’t watch the first NBA games of the 2026 season as you normally would, you can still catch all of the action no matter where you are in the world with a VPN. A VPN can be used on your phone, tablet, or computer and make you appear to be back home — even when you’re not — making sure you feel at home no matter where you are. A VPN is a safe and secure way to stay protected online while streaming your favorite sports, movies, and shows on the go. Keep in mind that you will still need to be subscribed to Peacock in order to stream the games with a VPN.
NordVPN is one of the best providers around, at one of the best prices. Currently, you can get two full years of protection for just $3.59 per month — plus you’ll get three extra months FREE. A high-speed VPN with best-in-class security that can be used on up to 10 devices at once — what more could you ask for? Simply sign up, install the software on your device of choice, and start streaming just as you would back home. It couldn’t be easier!
While NordVPN is our recommendation for the best VPN to use while you are traveling, there are a number of other high-quality options available depending on what you are looking for.
- Best Features: ExpressVPN | Starting at $5 per month
- Best Budget Option: Surfshark | Starting at $2.50 per month
- Best Free Option: Proton VPN | Free plan available
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