The wait is over…

Nine months of basketball. Thirty teams chasing one championship. Three marquee matchups to start it all.

The 2026-27 NBA season tips off today with a star-studded tripleheader on NBC & Peacock.

Celtics at Pistons: Detroit looks to take the next step, Boston begins a new chapter

76ers at Knicks: New York begins its title defense against LeBron, Jaylen Brown and revamped Philly

Thunder at Spurs: SGA vs. Wemby, a rivalry renewed, a West Finals rematch and one common goal

Power Rankings: A look at where all 30 teams stand entering 2026-27

Fantasy Finds: Last-minute draft tips and final player rankings before it all begins

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Today’s tripleheader on NBC & Peacock is just the beginning, with Opening Week featuring 41 matchups over the next six days, including nine on the national stage. | Full Schedule

What’s New In The NBA App? You know ball. But are you on the Pulse? Tap to watch live games, get the inside story with Game Pulse and meet your new hoops expert, Ask NBA. Explore the NBA App.

Season Start Challenge: Celebrate the new season by completing four activities in the NBA App to earn an exclusive badge and, if eligible, a chance to win a trip to the Emirates NBA Cup 2026 Championship. Join the challenge

Atlanta Evens W Finals: Behind Angel Reese’s 30-point, 16-rebound double-double, the Dream topped the Valkyries 79-65 in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals to even the series at 1-1. | Recap

1. CELTICS & PISTONS OPEN THE 2026-27 SEASON IN DETROIT (3 ET)

Three seasons ago, the Pistons won 14 games, finishing last in the East.

Two seasons ago, they increased their win total by 30, going 44-38 to end a six-year Playoff drought.

Last season, they earned the East’s No. 1 seed, racking up 60 wins for the first time in 20 years. But their run ended in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, losing to Cleveland in seven games.

Today (3 ET, NBC/Peacock), Detroit looks to continue its climb, opening the 81st NBA season against a team that knows what it takes to reach the mountaintop: the Boston Celtics.

• Established Identity: The Pistons led the East for 156 consecutive days last season, posting the NBA’s 2nd-best defensive rating, while Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren earned All-Star nods
• Unfinished Business: After taking a 2-0 lead over Cleveland in the East Semis, Detroit dropped four of the next five games, including a 125-94 home loss in Game 7 – a loss that now fuels them
• “It was a great opportunity this season to move forward and continue to experience new things that we hadn’t been exposed to,” said Cunningham after the defeat “We were right there, but we fell short. So that chip, that sting is going to sit for a while.”

The Pistons underwent changes this offseason in preparation for another Playoff push, adding John Collins, Isaiah Joe and Taurean Prince while parting ways with Isaiah Stewart, Tobias Harris and Caris LeVert.

But one thing hasn’t changed: Detroit’s defense-first mentality. | Pistons Season Preview

• “That’s who we are,” said Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff of their defensive identity. “That won’t change year to year. It doesn’t change person to person … it’s something that we can’t relent on.”

The Celtics are navigating changes of their own.

After parting ways with Jaylen Brown this offseason, Boston enters a new chapter led by Jayson Tatum, now entering Year 10, alongside newcomer Paul George, a fellow 6-foot-8 wing with a versatile skill set.

• “PG was somebody that I studied a lot, and now to be his teammate, never crossed my mind,” Tatum said. “I knew I’d play against him, but I didn’t know I’d ever be his teammate.”

What will Tatum, PG and the retooled C’s look like? If Boston’s recent success under head coach Joe Mazzulla is any indication, balance will be key.

• Winning Formula: The Celtics are the only team to rank in the top five in both offensive and defensive rating in each of the past three seasons, a stretch that included their 2024 championship
• Early Signs: That balance flashed this preseason, as Boston led the NBA in scoring (126 ppg) while ranking third in points allowed (107.3 ppg)
• New Pieces: Alongside George, Boston added Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley Jr. to complement returning guards Derrick White and Payton Pritchard, giving Mazzulla a mix of familiar faces and fresh options | Celtics Season Preview
• “The [thing I’m most] excited about is the unknown,” said Mazzulla at Media Day. “There’s risk to the unknown, but there’s also opportunity to the unknown … So I’d say I’m inspired and motivated by the unknown more than anything else.”

2. KNICKS BEGIN TITLE DEFENSE, HOSTING REVAMPED SIXERS (7 ET)

129 days ago, the Knicks ended a 53-year title drought, bringing the Larry O’Brien Trophy back to New York.

Tonight (7 ET, NBC/Peacock), the celebration that will begin with a banner raising gives way to a new challenge: defending their crown.

That starts with a test against a King and a revamped rival, with LeBron James and Jaylen Brown set to make their Philly debuts as the new-look Sixers visit Madison Square Garden.

• New York’s Challenge: No team has repeated as NBA champion since the 2017-18 Warriors, but the Knicks return nearly their entire rotation, with Andre Drummond replacing the departed Mitchell Robinson | Knicks Season Preview
• New York’s Groove: That continuity could prove valuable. The Knicks found another gear last spring, becoming the only team to improve its offensive efficiency from the regular season (118.7 OffRtg) to the Playoffs (119.9)
• That included an 11-0 run leading up to the Finals in which they averaged 122.9 ppg – the highest-scoring 11-game stretch in a single postseason since the 1985 Showtime Lakers

But last season’s success won’t guarantee anything this year. The Knicks are 0-0, a record that helped fuel last year’s championship run – and a mindset that Jalen Brunson wants to continue.

• “I think for us now, the way we approached last year, is taking one day at a time, every single day,” Brunson said at Media Day. “We know what it takes, but just going into this with the same mindset for this journey …
• “It’s a new journey, it’s a different journey, the approach has to be the same, if not better.”

The Sixers are chasing what the Knicks achieved last season: ending a championship drought that has stretched across decades.

Philly hasn’t won the NBA title since 1983.

But after falling to New York in last year’s East Semifinals, the Sixers have renewed championship hopes, with James and Brown joining Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe – a group that boasts 36 combined All-Star selections. | 76ers Team Preview

The key to making it work? Sacrifice, said James at Media Day.

• “If we want to accomplish something that’s really, really important, like if we say that we want to do something special, there will be a collective sacrificing in a good way …
• “If you sacrifice one or two more shots, that gives you one or two more bursts of energy in the 4th quarter to slide over and take a charge … things that don’t show up in the box scores.”

Sacrifice is a daily commitment. Chemistry, though, takes time. And like Brunson, Brown – an NBA champion himself – is embracing a similar approach: one day at a time.

• “There will definitely be phases for sure,” Brown said of building chemistry with his new co-stars. “But every day for us is going to be a step forward. We’re trying to put our best foot forward …
• “It will definitely take sacrificing, but we’re ready to do it.”

3. AFTER EPIC WEST FINALS, THUNDER & SPURS TIP SEASON IN TEXAS (9:30 ET)

The final buzzer of Game 7 of last year’s Western Conference Finals brought two very different emotions:

• For Victor Wembanyama, it was pure jubilation as he broke down in tears while embracing his teammates, celebrating the Spurs’ first trip to the NBA Finals in 12 years
• For Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder, it was heartbreak on their home floor, as their title defense ended one win shy of another Finals appearance

To cap tonight’s tripleheader (9:30 ET, NBC/Peacock), the two rivals meet again with different memories of their last meeting, but the same goal ahead: an NBA championship.

• Thunder Reign: After winning the 2025 title, OKC posted the league’s best record for a second straight season, going 64-18 to earn the West’s No. 1 seed
• Spurs Retort: But four of those 18 losses came against the same team: San Antonio, which went 4-1 against OKC in the regular season, sparked by a win in the Emirates NBA Cup Semifinals
• Epic West Finals: The two powers met again with a trip to the NBA Finals at stake, and after going down 3-2, San Antonio rallied to win a series that was decided by an average of just 3.7 ppg
• “They’re young, they’re talented, well coached. Play the right way,” said SGA of the Spurs after the loss. “They have the make-up, for sure. You don’t beat us without the make-up, and they beat us.”

Now, OKC looks to reclaim the West with a retooled supporting cast around its championship core, following the departures of Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe.

But there’s help arriving, too. First-round picks Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz popped this preseason, while All-Star Jalen Williams returns from an injury-plagued 2025-26.

And while the personnel has changed, OKC isn’t planning to reinvent itself. | Thunder Team Preview

• “Fundamentally, we are still the Oklahoma City Thunder,” said Alex Caruso at Media Day. “We want to be the same kind of team and have the same principles and play the same way.”
• “We understand what it takes to win,” added SGA, the reigning back-to-back Kia MVP, earlier this month. “It’s just about how fast can we get to that … and also, how fast can we implement the things that we’ve learned from last season.”

The Spurs, meanwhile, experienced both sides of the postseason.

The jubilation of knocking off the defending champs gave way to heartbreak of their own, as their Finals run ended three wins shy of a title against the Knicks.

• “Hard to find sleep sometimes,” said Wembanyama of the Finals loss. “Hard emotions. Haunting sometimes. But there’s just a point where you accept that you have to go through it. You have to feel all of it.”

But like OKC, that heartbreak is driving San Antonio.

Last June, the Spurs became the youngest team to reach an NBA Finals since the 1976-77 Blazers, with Wemby, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper all shining on basketball’s biggest stage – and all under the age of 23.

Now, knowing what it takes to get there, the Spurs enter 2026-27 looking to complete the climb. | Spurs Season Preview

• “We’re in a great spot,” said Wembanyama. “We’re very hopeful. Very ambitious. And we’re ready.”

4. FIRST LOOK: OPENING POWER RANKINGS

Before the ball goes up, NBA.com’s John Schuhmann weighed in on where all 30 teams stand entering the season.

And his initial 2026-27 Power Rankings feature a fitting coincidence: all of his top five teams take the floor today.

Who are those top squads? Below is a sneak peek, along with a snippet of his reasoning, starting with two familiar West rivals and the reigning NBA champs.

1. Spurs: “They led all five games of the Finals by at least 12 points … With Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper just 22, 21 and 20 years old, respectively, there should be many more opportunities ahead, and the next chapter starts now.”

2. Thunder: “Over the last two seasons, the Thunder have had two of the top seven defenses of the last 30 years. They’ve lost some depth, but Jalen Williams is back to give the offense a boost.”

3. Knicks: “Despite the departure of Mitchell Robinson, they remain the favorites in the East. The question is if they can again hit the level of basketball that they hit in the 2026 Playoffs.” |

5. FANTASY FINDS: LAST-MINUTE DRAFT TIPS & PLAYER RANKINGS

The NBA season is just hours away. But there’s still time to get your fantasy squad ready.

With American Express Tip-Off approaching, Yahoo fantasy expert Dan Titus shares his last-minute draft tips to help managers prepare for the 2026-27 season.

Among his tips: A look at the players he keeps coming back to on draft day, though not always for the same reasons. As Titus writes:

“Mock drafts are one thing, but the players I keep coming back to tell a better story about how I’m approaching this season. Here are the guys I’ve drafted most often, whether it’s because of their value, upside or how well they fit my preferred roster builds …

• Guards: LaMelo Ball, Trae Young, Keyonte George …
• Forwards: Brandon Miller, Matas Buzelis, Ausar Thompson …
• Centers: Onyeka Okongwu, Kel’el Ware, Khaman Maluach …” |

High Score Rankings: Still building your draft board? RotoWire has released its final top 150 players for 2026-27 High Score leagues, with Nikola Jokić, Luka Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the way.