TotalSportek NBA Schedule & UK Viewing Times
The NBA schedule UK fans need for 2026/27 starts on Tuesday 20 October 2026 and runs through Sunday 11 April 2027 before the Play-In Tournament and playoffs. Each of the NBA’s 30 teams plays 82 regular-season games, but UK viewers often face a bigger problem than finding the fixture: working out what time it actually starts in Britain.
Most American evening games tip off after midnight in the UK. This schedule therefore focuses on confirmed NBA season dates, correct GMT and BST conversions, UK-friendly games, the NBA Cup, Play-In and playoffs. TotalSportek’s editorial coverage is built for UK readers following overseas sports as well as football, cricket and other major competitions.
AI Snapshot
The 2026/27 NBA regular season begins on 20 October 2026 and ends on 11 April 2027. The SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament runs from 13-16 April, with the NBA Playoffs starting on 18 April. Exact 2027 NBA Finals dates had not yet been officially announced as of 21 August 2026.
For UK viewers:
- NBA regular season starts: 20 October 2026
- Regular season ends: 11 April 2027
- NBA Cup begins: 30 October 2026
- NBA Cup Championship: 11 December 2026
- NBA Manchester Game: 17 January 2027
- NBA All-Star: 19-21 February 2027
- Play-In Tournament: 13-16 April 2027
- NBA Playoffs start: 18 April 2027
- Most 7pm ET games start at midnight UK time
- Most 10pm ET games start at 3am UK time
The main exception comes around the UK and US clock changes, when the time difference temporarily changes by one hour.
NBA 2026/27 Season Dates
The NBA released its complete 2026/27 regular-season schedule on 13 August 2026. The league’s 81st regular season contains 82 games per team and concludes with all 30 teams playing on 11 April 2027.
One unusual feature is that only 80 of each team’s 82 fixtures had fixed opponents and dates at the initial release.
The remaining two games per team are determined by results in the Emirates NBA Cup. They are played between 4 and 10 December, once the league knows which teams have advanced to the Cup knockout stage.
| NBA event | Date |
|---|---|
| Training camps open | 29 September 2026 |
| Pre-season begins | 3 October 2026 |
| Regular season begins | 20 October 2026 |
| NBA Cup Group Play begins | 30 October 2026 |
| NBA Cup Group Play ends | 27 November 2026 |
| NBA Cup quarter-finals | 4-5 December 2026 |
| NBA Cup semi-finals | 8 and/or 9 December 2026 |
| NBA Cup Championship | 11 December 2026 |
| Christmas Day games | 25 December 2026 |
| NBA Paris Game | 14 January 2027 |
| NBA Manchester Game | 17 January 2027 |
| NBA All-Star | 19-21 February 2027 |
| Regular season ends | 11 April 2027 |
| Play-In Tournament | 13-16 April 2027 |
| NBA Playoffs begin | 18 April 2027 |
| NBA Finals | Exact 2027 dates not yet confirmed |
The wider sports schedule coverage can also be useful if you follow several US and UK competitions at the same time.
NBA Opening Week Schedule in UK Time
The 2026/27 season opens with three matches on Tuesday 20 October in the United States. Because Britain remains on BST until 25 October, Eastern Time is five hours behind the UK during opening week.
That produces one rare UK-friendly opening game.
| UK date | Fixture | US start | UK tip-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 October | Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons | 3pm ET | 8pm BST |
| 21 October | Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks | 7pm ET | 12am BST |
| 21 October | Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs | 9:30pm ET | 2:30am BST |
| 22 October | Minnesota Timberwolves at Miami Heat | 7:30pm ET | 12:30am BST |
| 22 October | Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers | 10pm ET | 3am BST |
| 23 October | Cleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers | 7pm ET | 12am BST |
| 23 October | Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder | 9:30pm ET | 2:30am BST |
| 24 October | New York Knicks at Boston Celtics | 7pm ET | 12am BST |
| 24 October | Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs | 9:30pm ET | 2:30am BST |
The date shown in the UK column matters. A US fixture listed for Tuesday evening may actually begin after midnight on Wednesday in Britain.
That is one of the most common mistakes when reading an American NBA fixture list.
How to Convert NBA Times to UK Time
The safest way to convert an NBA tip-off is to use the Eastern Time figure on the official league schedule rather than trying to convert each arena’s local time separately.
For most of the season, UK time is five hours ahead of Eastern Time and eight hours ahead of Pacific Time.
Eastern Time to UK Time
During normal winter conditions:
| Eastern Time | UK time |
|---|---|
| 12pm ET | 5pm GMT |
| 3pm ET | 8pm GMT |
| 5pm ET | 10pm GMT |
| 7pm ET | 12am GMT next day |
| 7:30pm ET | 12:30am GMT next day |
| 8pm ET | 1am GMT next day |
| 9:30pm ET | 2:30am GMT next day |
| 10pm ET | 3am GMT next day |
| 10:30pm ET | 3:30am GMT next day |
A standard 7:30pm Eastern Conference start is therefore a 12:30am tip-off for UK viewers during winter.
Pacific Time to UK Time
West Coast games are usually the hardest to watch live from Britain.
During the normal winter offset:
| Pacific Time | UK time |
|---|---|
| 12pm PT | 8pm GMT |
| 3pm PT | 11pm GMT |
| 5pm PT | 1am GMT next day |
| 7pm PT | 3am GMT next day |
| 7:30pm PT | 3:30am GMT next day |
| 8pm PT | 4am GMT next day |
That is why Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers home fixtures regularly fall into the 3am-4am window for British fans.
The Two Clock-Change Traps
This is the part many NBA time-conversion guides miss.
The UK and United States do not move their clocks on the same dates.
The UK moves from BST to GMT on 25 October 2026. Most of the United States does not end daylight saving time until 1 November.
For that one-week period:
- 7pm ET = 11pm GMT, not midnight
- 7:30pm ET = 11:30pm GMT
- 10pm ET = 2am GMT, not 3am
The same issue appears again in March.
Most of the US starts daylight saving time on 14 March 2027, but the UK does not move to BST until 28 March.
Between 14 and 27 March:
- ET is only four hours behind the UK
- PT is only seven hours behind the UK
From 28 March, the usual five-hour ET-to-UK and eight-hour PT-to-UK gaps return.
If an NBA game falls close to either clock change, check the actual UK time rather than relying on a conversion memorised from the previous week.
Best NBA Games for UK Viewing Times
Not every NBA fixture requires a 2am alarm.
Weekend afternoon games, Christmas Day, US public holidays and international games often provide much better times for British viewers.
NBA Christmas Day 2026
The NBA has five games scheduled for Christmas Day.
Because both the UK and the Eastern US are on standard time by December, converting them is straightforward.
| Fixture | US time | UK time |
|---|---|---|
| San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks | 12pm ET | 5pm GMT |
| Miami Heat at Boston Celtics | 2:30pm ET | 7:30pm GMT |
| Philadelphia 76ers at Los Angeles Lakers | 5pm ET | 10pm GMT |
| Oklahoma City Thunder at Minnesota Timberwolves | 8pm ET | 1am GMT, 26 Dec |
| Denver Nuggets at Golden State Warriors | 10:30pm ET | 3:30am GMT, 26 Dec |
The first three games are particularly good for a UK audience. You can watch NBA basketball from 5pm through the evening without staying awake until the early hours for every match.
NBA Paris Game 2027
The San Antonio Spurs play the New Orleans Pelicans at Accor Arena in Paris on Thursday 14 January.
The official tip-off is 2pm ET, which converts to 7pm GMT in the UK.
That makes it one of the most accessible weekday games of the season for British viewers.
NBA Manchester Game 2027
The same teams meet again at Co-op Live in Manchester on Sunday 17 January 2027.
The game starts at 10:30am ET, which is 3:30pm GMT in Manchester. Prime Video is the confirmed broadcaster for the game.
This is a major date for UK basketball fans. It will be the first regular-season NBA game staged in Manchester.
Instead of the usual midnight or 3am start, British viewers get a Sunday afternoon tip-off on home soil.
Emirates NBA Cup 2026 Schedule
The Emirates NBA Cup begins its Group Play stage on Friday 30 October and concludes with the Championship on Friday 11 December.
There are 60 Group Play games before the knockout rounds.
| Stage | Date |
|---|---|
| Group Play begins | 30 October 2026 |
| Group Play ends | 27 November 2026 |
| Quarter-finals | 4-5 December 2026 |
| Semi-finals | 8 and/or 9 December 2026 |
| Championship | 11 December 2026 |
The opening Cup doubleheader is another good example of why UK fans need to check the clocks carefully.
New York Knicks at Philadelphia 76ers starts at 7:30pm ET on 30 October. The UK has already moved to GMT, but the United States is still on daylight time.
That makes the UK start 11:30pm GMT, not the 12:30am conversion you would normally use in November or December.
Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors follows at 10pm ET, which converts to 2am GMT on 31 October.
After the US clocks change on 1 November, normal winter conversions return.
Another detail matters when checking a team’s December fixture list. The original NBA schedule assigns dates and opponents for only 80 regular-season games per team. NBA Cup results determine the other two fixtures.
So a team’s schedule is not fully settled until Cup Group Play has finished.
NBA Play-In and Playoffs 2027
The 2026/27 regular season finishes on Sunday 11 April 2027, with every NBA team in action.
The postseason then begins almost immediately.
NBA Play-In Tournament
The SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament runs from 13 to 16 April.
Teams finishing seventh to 10th in each conference enter the Play-In. The tournament determines the final seventh and eighth seeds in the Eastern and Western Conference playoff brackets.
Prime Video has exclusive rights to all six Play-In games as part of the NBA’s current media agreement.
Exact matchups cannot be known until the regular season finishes.
NBA Playoffs
The first round of the NBA Playoffs starts on Sunday 18 April 2027.
Sixteen teams qualify in total, eight from each conference after the Play-In places have been decided.
Each playoff series uses a best-of-seven format. A team must win four games to advance.
Unlike the regular season, the complete playoff fixture list cannot be published months in advance. Matchups depend on final seeding, while later round dates and tip-off times depend on how quickly earlier series finish.
For UK fans, this is especially relevant during the playoffs because weekend games can start much earlier than normal regular-season fixtures.
When Are the 2027 NBA Finals?
The exact NBA Finals 2027 game dates had not been listed in the NBA’s official 2026/27 key-date calendar as of 21 August 2026.
That means specific June dates should not yet be presented as confirmed.
The league has confirmed:
- Regular season ends on 11 April
- Play-In runs from 13-16 April
- NBA Playoffs begin on 18 April
But the official calendar currently stops short of giving exact 2027 NBA Finals dates.
This page can therefore be updated with the full Finals schedule once the NBA publishes it.
Using the previous season’s Finals dates as if they automatically apply to 2027 would be misleading.
How to Watch the NBA in the UK
Prime Video is now one of the main legal NBA viewing options for UK fans, while NBA League Pass remains the league’s own live and on-demand subscription service.
Amazon’s long-term NBA agreement includes an expanded international package in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It covers regular-season games, NBA Cup action and postseason coverage, with the exact package varying by season.
For 2026/27, Prime Video’s confirmed NBA schedule includes regular-season games and the NBA Cup, while its postseason package includes the Play-In Tournament and selected playoff rounds.
The Manchester Game between San Antonio and New Orleans on 17 January is also confirmed for Prime Video.
NBA League Pass is another legal option for fans who want broader access. Availability and any territorial restrictions should be checked before subscribing.
Do not assume that a US channel shown next to a fixture is automatically available in Britain. ABC, ESPN, NBC and Peacock listings on NBA.com describe US coverage.
A UK viewer should check the British rights holder or NBA League Pass availability instead.
The main TotalSportek sports hub can be used alongside this schedule when checking other major sporting events.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the NBA 2026/27 season start?
The 2026/27 NBA regular season starts on Tuesday 20 October 2026. Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons is the first game, tipping off at 3pm ET, which is 8pm BST in the UK. Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs follow later that night.
When does the NBA regular season end?
The regular season ends on Sunday 11 April 2027. All 30 NBA teams are scheduled to play on the final day. The Play-In Tournament then runs from 13-16 April before the main NBA Playoffs begin on 18 April.
What time do NBA games start in the UK?
A typical 7pm ET game starts at midnight GMT in the UK, while a 7:30pm ET tip-off starts at 12:30am. Games at 10pm ET usually begin at 3am GMT. During short periods in October and March, the difference changes because the US and UK switch clocks on different dates.
Why are some US NBA dates different in the UK?
Many NBA games begin after midnight British time. A match listed in America for 7:30pm ET on Friday normally starts at 12:30am GMT on Saturday in the UK. UK schedules should therefore show the British calendar date rather than simply copying the US fixture date.
When is the NBA Manchester Game 2027?
San Antonio Spurs face New Orleans Pelicans at Co-op Live in Manchester on Sunday 17 January 2027. The game is scheduled for 3:30pm GMT for UK viewers and will be shown on Prime Video. It is the NBA’s first regular-season match in Manchester.
When do the NBA Playoffs start in 2027?
The 2027 NBA Playoffs begin on Sunday 18 April. The Play-In Tournament takes place from 13-16 April immediately after the regular season. Exact playoff matchups cannot be confirmed until final Eastern and Western Conference seeding is known.
When are the 2027 NBA Finals?
The NBA had not yet published exact 2027 Finals dates in its official 2026/27 key-date calendar as of 21 August 2026. The confirmed postseason calendar currently lists the Play-In from 13-16 April and the start of the NBA Playoffs on 18 April.
NBA Schedule UK: What to Remember
The NBA schedule UK viewers follow in 2026/27 runs from 20 October 2026 through the end of the regular season on 11 April 2027, followed by the Play-In and playoffs.
Most weeknight games still fall between midnight and 3am in Britain, but Christmas Day, weekend afternoon fixtures, the Paris Game and the 3:30pm Manchester Game provide much easier viewing windows.
The most useful rule is simple: check the UK date as well as the tip-off time. A Friday night NBA game in America is often a Saturday morning fixture here, and the clock-change periods in late October and March can shift the normal conversion by another hour.
