The 2026-27 NBA schedule is out, and it is stacked. LeBron James in Philadelphia. Giannis in Miami. The Knicks raising a championship banner on opening night. A Christmas slate built around rematches and homecomings. This season’s calendar reads less like a regular-season schedule and more like a highlight reel arranged in chronological order.
On StubHub, the schedule release broke records! NBA search demand more than doubled year-over-year. If you’re planning your NBA season, here are the games worth circling and what to know before you buy.
1. Sixers vs. Knicks — Opening Night (Oct. 20, Madison Square Garden)
LeBron James and the revamped Philadelphia 76ers head to Madison Square Garden on opening night, where the defending champion Knicks raise their championship banner before tipoff. It’s James’ Sixers debut, also against the Knicks, but this time at MSG on ring night for New York. Jaylen Brown, traded from Boston to Philadelphia this offseason, is also in uniform for the first time as a Sixer on the biggest stage in basketball.
On StubHub, Sixers–Knicks at MSG on Oct. 20 is the No. 1 game leaguewide on both purchases and search demand. Philadelphia’s search demand rose more than 12x year-over-year, vaulting the Sixers from sixth to first among all 30 teams. This is the single hottest ticket in basketball right now.
What to know before you buy: This game will not get cheaper. Opening night, MSG, Knicks banner ceremony, LeBron’s debut… every demand driver is stacked on the same night. Move early or expect to pay a significant premium as October approaches.
2. Christmas Day Slate (Dec. 25)
The NBA’s five-game Christmas feast tips off with a 2026 Finals rematch between the Knicks and Spurs at Madison Square Garden at noon ET. The Philadelphia 76ers then visit the Los Angeles Lakers at 5 p.m. in LeBron James’ first game back in Los Angeles since joining Philadelphia. Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Miami Heat visit the Boston Celtics at 2:30 p.m., followed by the Oklahoma City Thunder visiting the Minnesota Timberwolves at 8 p.m., before the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors close the day at 10:30 p.m.
On StubHub, the full Christmas Day slate is up 47% versus last year’s. MSG is again the holiday’s top-selling building, with Spurs–Knicks and Sixers–Lakers leading demand leaguewide.
What to know before you buy: Christmas games at MSG sell at a premium in any year. Add a Finals rematch and the defending champions hosting, and this is one of the most in-demand single days on the entire sports calendar. For the Sixers–Lakers game in LA, LeBron’s first trip back to Crypto.com Arena as a Sixer is the kind of homecoming game that draws well beyond the usual fan bases.
3. Jaylen Brown Returns to Boston (Jan. 21, TD Garden)
Jaylen Brown will return to Boston when the 76ers visit the Celtics on Jan. 21, bringing the former NBA Finals MVP back to TD Garden after he was traded to Philadelphia in the offseason. The Sixers will host Boston earlier in the season on Nov. 10, when Paul George and the Celtics make their first trip to Philadelphia.
Both games carry the same energy as any significant player return. Brown’s Finals MVP in a Celtics uniform makes his return to Boston one of the more emotionally charged moments on the schedule.
What to know before you buy: TD Garden sells well for any marquee opponent. A Jaylen Brown return, with the full offseason storyline behind it, pushes this into must-see territory for Boston fans and Sixers followers alike.
4. Giannis Returns to Milwaukee (Jan. 28, Fiserv Forum)
Giannis Antetokounmpo will be in Milwaukee for a matchup with his old team, the Bucks, seven days after Brown’s Boston return. Giannis spent more than a decade in Milwaukee, winning a championship and two MVPs there. His first trip back in a Miami Heat uniform is the kind of homecoming the NBA schedule was made for.
What to know before you buy: Fiserv Forum is a mid-sized arena with a passionate fan base. A Giannis return sells fast locally. If you’re a Bucks fan or a Heat follower planning to travel for this one, move early — Wisconsin’s famously loyal fan base won’t let this one sit on the market long.
5. NBA Cup Final (TBD, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis)
This year’s NBA Cup final moves out of Las Vegas and into historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, where two teams will battle to be the fourth NBA Cup champions in a legendary college venue. After last year’s Knicks–Spurs final delivered what turned out to be an NBA Finals preview, the in-season tournament has built real credibility fast.
What to know before you buy: Hinkle Fieldhouse seats roughly 10,000, significantly smaller than an NBA arena. Capacity makes this one of the more genuinely scarce tickets on the calendar. If the Sixers or Knicks advance, expect demand to reflect it quickly.
6. Sixers–Lakers at Crypto.com Arena (Christmas, Dec. 25)
Worth its own entry beyond the broader Christmas Day slate. LeBron James will make his return to Los Angeles on Christmas Day when he squares off against his old team, and his son Bronny James. Father versus son on Christmas Day at Crypto.com Arena is the kind of moment that writes its own storyline.
What to know before you buy: Lakers tickets at Crypto.com carry a baseline premium regardless of opponent. LeBron’s return, on Christmas, against Bronny… the casual sports fan interest here extends well beyond committed NBA followers. Buy early.
7. Rookie Debuts: AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson (Feb. 27)
The league set Feb. 27 for the first regular-season meeting between the top two picks in the 2026 draft, with No. 1 AJ Dybantsa and Washington visiting No. 2 Darryn Peterson and Utah. Both players arrive with significant expectations and substantial fan bases built through their college and pre-draft careers.
What to know before you buy: Utah and Washington are smaller markets without the premium pricing of East Coast or LA venues, which makes this a genuinely accessible ticket for basketball fans who want to see generational rookies in their first head-to-head matchup. Worth grabbing early before the buzz around both players builds through the early season.
8. LeBron Returns to Miami (Jan. 30, Kaseya Center)
LeBron James will make a return trip to Miami on Jan. 30, where the Sixers and Heat will get to measure up as hopeful contenders. James spent four seasons in Miami, winning two championships. His return to Kaseya Center as a Sixer — facing a Giannis-led Heat squad — adds layers to an already compelling matchup.
What to know before you buy: Miami’s fan base turns out for marquee opponents and big storylines. A LeBron homecoming in a Heat building that remembers his championship years well sells at a meaningful premium over a standard Sixers visit.
9. Haliburton’s Return to OKC (Feb. 5, Paycom Center)
The Indiana Pacers visit Oklahoma City in a rematch of the entertaining 2025 NBA Finals on Feb. 5. Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles in Game 7 in Oklahoma City and missed all of last season. He’s healthy now.
The comeback narrative (returning to the arena where he suffered the injury that cost him a full season, against the team that beat his Pacers in that series) makes this one of the more emotionally loaded regular-season games on the calendar.
What to know before you buy: Oklahoma City is a passionate, well-organized fan base in a mid-size market. Paycom Center sells out for marquee opponents. The Haliburton storyline drives crossover interest from casual sports fans. Move ahead of the early-season buzz.
How to Buy NBA Tickets This Season
The 2026-27 season is the biggest on record on StubHub, and the buyers moving fastest are the most experienced ones, with nearly 70% of release-day demand came from repeat or returning buyers. A few things worth knowing:
Presales move first. The best seats at the most in-demand games — opening night, Christmas, marquee homecomings — go in the first hours of on-sale. Set alerts and have payment ready before you start browsing.
Philadelphia is the market to watch. Seven of the 10 most-purchased games leaguewide involve the Sixers. Pennsylvania is the No. 1 state and Philadelphia the No. 1 city for NBA purchases on StubHub right now. If you’re buying Sixers away-game tickets in any market, expect elevated demand and price accordingly.
All-in pricing matters. Fees can add significantly to the listed price. StubHub shows all-in pricing upfront so you see the real number before you commit, especially when you’re comparing across multiple games and markets.
Track StubHub over time. For games that aren’t sold out at primary, especially mid-season matchups in smaller markets, the 48-hour window before tip-off often produces price movement as sellers push to move inventory.
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