The 2026-27 NBA season tips off Tuesday with a three-game slate on NBC and Peacock. First, the Boston Celtics visit the Detroit Pistons at 3 p.m. ET.
Then the defending champion New York Knicks host the Philadelphia 76ers at 7 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden for banner-raising night.
The nightcap is a Western Conference Finals rematch as the Oklahoma City Thunder visit the San Antonio Spurs at 9:30 p.m. ET.
Experts and models lean Knicks
SportsLine’s projection model and several experts favor the Knicks to cover as 4.5-point home favorites against the new-look 76ers, who feature LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in their debuts.
New York returns nearly its full championship core led by Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. The model projects the Knicks cover in 57% of simulations. Many also like the under on totals around 231.5-232.5, citing strong defenses and early-season chemistry issues for Philadelphia.
Spurs backed at home
Against the Thunder, experts and the model back the Spurs on the moneyline (around–135) or as slight favorites. San Antonio is largely intact after its Finals run and added Tobias Harris.
Oklahoma City is thinner after luxury-tax moves and Chet Holmgren’s limited preseason. Victor Wembanyama is expected to dominate the matchup. Unders near 231.5 also draw support in this defensive battle.
Player props in focus
Popular props include Ausar Thompson over 6.5 rebounds for Detroit, various scoring and assist lines for Brunson, Cade Cunningham and Wembanyama overs.
Early chemistry questions for the stacked 76ers and injury watches (Holmgren minutes) make opening night volatile but consensus leans toward the champions and Spurs.
