I get excited for the NBA season every October. It’s almost as exciting as Halloween for me—almost. And the best way to prepare for the marathon 82-game season is by keeping a close eye on the preseason.
The NBA preseason gives fans the first glimpses of new players, new coaches, or young players in new roles looking to make a leap. Even though the games don’t count, they at times could provide clues into whether a team will have a good or awful season.
If you’re not attending a preseason game in person, this guide is for you. I’ll give you the best ways to watch games on TV or streaming, and provide you with a full schedule of games.
What channels are NBA preseason games on?
You can watch nationally televised NBA preseason games on NBA TV, ESPN, ESPN2, and Peacock. Due to NBA’s new media deal, TNT will no longer be a hub for NBA games.
Keep in mind, though, that most preseason matchups air locally on each team’s regional sports network (RSN) or over-the-air affiliate.
Pro tip: NBA preseason games that air locally also stream on NBA League Pass for out-of-market fans.
2025 NBA preseason schedule
This season’s NBA preseason calendar spans the first few weeks of October. Teams will play various home and away games, with several happening in non-NBA markets. Additional preseason games will occur internationally or feature teams from foreign leagues. It all leads to the start of the regular season on October 21.
Hit the drop-down menus below for the full 2025 NBA preseason TV schedule—including game times and channel listings. Most games appearing on NBA League Pass also air on each participating team’s in-market NBA channel.
New this year is the addition of Peacock to the schedule.
| Matchup | Day | Time (ET) | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks | Thursday, Oct. 2 | 12:00 p.m. | NBA TV |
| New Orleans Pelicans at Melbourne United | Friday, Oct. 3 | 5:30 a.m. | NBA TV |
| Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers | Friday, Oct. 3 | 10:00 p.m. | 3TV/AZFS, NBA TV |
| New York Knicks at Philadelphia 76ers | Saturday, Oct. 4 | 11:00 a.m. | NBA TV |
| Hapoel Jerusalem at Brooklyn Nets | Saturday, Oct. 4 | 8:00 p.m. | TBA |
| Orlando Magic at Miami Heat | Saturday, Oct. 4 | 8:00 p.m. | NBA TV |
| Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets | Saturday, Oct. 4 | 9:00 p.m. | TBA, Altitude Sports |
| New Orleans Pelicans at South East Melbourne Phoenix | Saturday, Oct. 4 | 11:00 p.m. | NBA TV |
| Oklahoma City Thunder at Charlotte Hornets | Sunday, Oct. 5 | 5:00 p.m. | Thunder App, TBA |
| Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors | Sunday, Oct. 5 | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN |
Data effective as of post date.
| Matchup | Day | Time (ET) | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Bucks at Miami Heat | Monday, Oct. 6 | 7:30 p.m. | FDSWI, FDSSUN |
| Atlanta Hawks at Houston Rockets | Monday, Oct. 6 | 8:00 p.m. | FDSSE, Space City Home Network |
| Detroit Pistons at Memphis Grizzlies | Monday, Oct. 6 | 8:00 p.m. | FDSDET, FDSS |
| Guangzhou Long-Lions at San Antonio Spurs | Monday, Oct. 6 | 8:00 p.m. | CWSA |
| Oklahoma City Thunder at Dallas Mavericks | Monday, Oct. 6 | 8:30 p.m. | NBA TV |
| Denver Nuggets at Toronto Raptors | Monday, Oct. 6 | 10:00 p.m. | NBA League Pass, TSN |
| Chicago Bulls At Cleveland Cavaliers | Tuesday, Oct. 7 | 7:00 p.m. | FDSOH, Chicago Sports Network, Peacock |
| Indiana Pacers at Minnesota Timberwolves | Tuesday, Oct. 7 | 8:00 p.m. | FDSIN, FDSN |
| San Antonio Spurs at Miami Heat | Wednesday, Oct. 8 | 7:30 p.m. | NBA TV |
| Utah Jazz at Houston Rockets | Wednesday, Oct. 8 | 8:00 p.m. | KJZZ/Jazz+, Space City Home Network |
| Boston Celtics at Memphis Grizzlies | Wednesday, Oct. 8 | 8:00 p.m. | NBC Sports Boston, FDSS |
| Portland Trail Blazers at Golden State Warriors | Wednesday, Oct. 8 | 10:00 p.m. | Rip City TV Network, NBC Sports Bay Area, NBA TV |
| Toronto Raptors at Sacramento Kings | Wednesday, Oct. 8 | 10:00 p.m. | TSN, kings.com/live |
| Minnesota Timberwolves at New York Knicks | Thursday, Oct. 9 | 7:30 p.m. | NBA TV |
| Cleveland Cavaliers at Chicago Bulls | Thursday, Oct. 9 | 8:00 p.m. | FDSOH, Chicago Sports Network |
| Detroit Pistons at Milwaukee Bucks | Thursday, Oct. 9 | 8:00 p.m. | FDSDET, FDSWI |
| Charlotte Hornets at Oklahoma City Thunder | Thursday, Oct. 9 | 8:00 p.m. | FDSSE, FDSOK |
| Guangzhou Long-Lions at Los Angeles Clippers | Thursday, Oct. 9 | 10:30 p.m. | NBA League Pass |
| Phoenix Suns at Brooklyn Nets | Friday, Oct. 10 | 8:00 a.m. | NBA TV |
| Boston Celtics at Toronto Raptors | Friday, Oct. 10 | 7:00 p.m. | NBC Sports Boston, SN |
| Orlando Magic at Philadelphia 76ers | Friday, Oct. 10 | 7:00 p.m. | NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA TV |
| Utah Jazz at San Antonio Spurs | Friday, Oct. 10 | 8:00 p.m. | KJZZ/Jazz+, CWSA |
| Sacramento Kings at Portland Trail Blazers | Friday, Oct. 10 | 10:00 p.m. | kings.com/live, Rip City TV Network |
| Oklahoma City Thunder at Indiana Pacers | Saturday, Oct. 11 | 7:00 p.m. | FDSOK, FDSIN, NBA TV |
| Atlanta Hawks at Memphis Grizzlies | Saturday, Oct. 11 | 8:00 p.m. | FDSSE, FDSS |
| Charlotte Hornets at Dallas Mavericks | Saturday, Oct. 11 | 8:30 p.m. | NBA League Pass, MAVSTV |
| Brooklyn Nets at Phoenix Suns | Sunday, Oct. 12 | 7:00 a.m. | NBA TV |
| Toronto Raptors at Washington Wizards | Sunday, Oct. 12 | 3:00 p.m. | SN, MNMT, NBA TV |
| Miami Heat at Orlando Magic | Sunday, Oct. 12 | 6:00 p.m. | FDSSUN, FDSFL |
| Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics | Sunday, Oct. 12 | 7:00 p.m. | FDSOH, NBC Sports Boston, ESPN |
| Milwaukee Bucks at Chicago Bulls | Sunday, Oct. 12 | 7:00 p.m. | FDSWI, Chicago Sports Network |
| Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers | Sunday, Oct. 12 | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers | Sunday, Oct. 12 | 9:30 p.m. | NBA League Pass, Spectrum SportsNet |
Data effective as of post date.
| Matchup | Day | Time (ET) | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Heat at Atlanta Hawks | Monday, Oct. 13 | 6:00 p.m. | FDSSUN, FDSSE, NBA TV |
| San Antonio Spurs at Indiana Pacers | Monday, Oct. 13 | 7:00 p.m. | News 4, FDSIN |
| Washington Wizards at New York Knicks | Monday, Oct. 13 | 7:30 p.m. | Monumental Sports Network, MSG |
| Guangzhou Long-Lions at Minnesota Timberwolves | Monday, Oct. 13 | 8:00 p.m. | NBA League Pass |
| Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz | Monday, Oct. 13 | 9:00 p.m. | MavsTV, KJZZ, NBA TV |
| Detroit Pistons at Cleveland Cavaliers | Tuesday, Oct. 14 | 7:00 p.m. | FDSDET, FDSOH |
| Houston Rockets at New Orleans Pelicans | Tuesday, Oct. 14 | 8:00 p.m. | Space City Home Network, GCSEN, ESPN2 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder at Milwaukee Bucks | Tuesday, Oct. 14 | 8:00 p.m. | Peacock |
| Chicago Bulls at Denver Nuggets | Tuesday, Oct. 14 | 9:00 p.m. | Chicago Sports Network, NBA League Pass |
| Golden State Warriors at Portland Trail Blazers | Tuesday, Oct. 14 | 10:00 p.m. | NBA League Pass, Rip City TV Network |
| Los Angeles Lakers at Phoenix Suns | Tuesday, Oct. 14 | 10:00 p.m. | Spectrum SportsNet, 3TV/AZFS |
| Memphis Grizzlies at Charlotte Hornets | Wednesday, Oct. 15 | 7:00 p.m. | FDSS, NBA League Pass |
| Toronto Raptors at Boston Celtics | Wednesday, Oct. 15 | 7:30 p.m. | TSN, NBC Sports Boston, NBA TV |
| Los Angeles Clippers at Sacramento Kings | Wednesday, Oct. 15 | 10:00 p.m. | NBA League Pass, NBCSCA |
| Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers | Wednesday, Oct. 15 | 10:30 p.m. | MavsTV, Spectrum SportsNet, ESPN |
| New Orleans Pelicans at Orlando Magic | Thursday, Oct. 16 | 7:00 p.m. | Pelicans.com, FDSFL |
| Washington Wizards at Detroit Pistons | Thursday, Oct. 16 | 7:00 p.m. | Monumental Sports Network, FDSDET |
| Houston Rockets at Atlanta Hawks | Thursday, Oct. 16 | 7:30 p.m. | Space City Home Network, FDSSE, ESPN2 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves at Chicago Bulls | Thursday, Oct. 16 | 8:00 p.m. | FDSN, Chicago Sports Network |
| Portland Trail Blazers at Utah Jazz | Thursday, Oct. 16 | 9:00 p.m. | Rip City TV Network, KJZZ |
| Brooklyn Nets at Toronto Raptors | Friday, Oct. 17 | 7:00 p.m. | YES Network, TSN |
| Minnesota Timberwolves at Philadelphia 76ers | Friday, Oct. 17 | 7:00 p.m. | NBA League Pass, NBC Sports Philadelphia |
| Charlotte Hornets at New York Knicks | Friday, Oct. 17 | 7:30 p.m. | NBA League Pass, MSG |
| Memphis Grizzlies at Miami Heat | Friday, Oct. 17 | 8:00 p.m. | FDSS, FDSSUN |
| Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder | Friday, Oct. 17 | 8:00 p.m. | NBA TV, FDSOK/KSBI |
| Indiana Pacers at San Antonio Spurs | Friday, Oct. 17 | 8:00 p.m. | FDSIN, FDSSW |
| Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State Warriors | Friday, Oct. 17 | 10:00 p.m. | FDS, NBC Sports Bay Area |
| Sacramento Kings at Los Angeles Lakers | Friday, Oct. 17 | 10:30 p.m. | kings.com/live, Spectrum SportsNet |
Data effective as of post date.
Best TV plans for watching the NBA preseason
Stream with DIRECTV is my favorite way to watch the NBA preseason. It carries every national NBA channel and most RSNs. With plans starting at $69.99 a month, Stream with DIRECTV is kinda pricey for simply watching preseason games. But it’ll set you up nicely for the NBA regular season.
Ultimately, the best TV plan for watching any sports league depends on your ride-or-die teams. Using the schedule above for reference, here are my three viewing recommendations based on game type.
- Local games: Stream with DIRECTV and Fubo offer the most RSN coverage of any streaming service. Though, some local games stream free online and air on antenna TV channels—making a paid TV subscription unnecessary for certain fans.
- Out-of-market games: NBA League Pass is the league’s out-of-market TV package designed for fans who don’t live near their preferred team. The service also comes with NBA TV for additional NBA and WNBA coverage.
- National games: Any TV service that offers ESPN and NBA TV will get you nationally televised NBA games. Sling TV offers the cheapest way to get those channels with its Sling Orange plan ($45.99/mo.) and Sports Extra add-on ($11.00 a month). You’re also gonna need Peacock for any games streaming there.
Which TV providers carry NBA preseason games?
TV providers that offer ESPN and NBA TV will get you some NBA preseason games. Services like DIRECTV, Fubo, and Spectrum offer more coverage through RSNs, but channel lineups and game availability can vary based on your location.
| Provider | Price | ESPN | NBA TV | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cox | $71.00–$162.00/mo. | ✔ | ✔ |
View Plans for Cox Read Cox review |
| DIRECTV | $89.99–$169.99/mo. | ✔ | ✔ |
View Plans for DIRECTV Read DIRECTV review |
| Stream with DIRECTV | $89.99–$169.99/mo. | ✔ | ✔ |
View Plans for DIRECTV STREAM Read Stream with DIRECTV review |
| DISH | $96.99–$126.99/mo. | ✔ | ✔ |
View Plans for DISH Read DISH review |
| Fubo | $14.99–$94.99/mo. | ✔ | ✔ |
View Plans for FuboTV Read Fubo review |
| Hulu + Live TV | $88.99–$99.99/mo. | ✔ | — |
View Plans for Hulu Read Hulu + Live TV review |
| Optimum | $15.00–$140.00/mo. | ✔ | ✔ |
View Plans for Optimum Read Optimum review |
| Philo | $28.00/mo. | — | — |
View Plans for Philo Read Philo review |
| Sling TV | $19.99–$60.99/mo. | ✔ | ✔ |
View Plans for Sling TV Read Sling TV review |
| Spectrum | $40.00–$110.00/mo. | ✔ | ✔ |
Check Availability Read Spectrum review |
| Verizon Fios | $95.00–$139.00/mo. | ✔ | ✔ |
View Plans for Verizon Read Verizon Fios review |
| Xfinity | $35.00–$90.00/mo. | ✔ | ✔ |
View Plans for Xfinity Read Xfinity review |
| YouTube TV | $82.99/mo. | ✔ | ✔ |
View Plans for YouTube TV Read YouTube TV review |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
How to watch the NBA preseason for free
Some NBA teams offer free viewing options during the preseason. For instance, the Sacramento Kings stream matches on Kings.com, while the Phoenix Suns air on Arizona’s Family channels (KTVK and KPHE-LD).
If you want more robust preseason coverage, you can also opt for a free trial of Stream with DIRECTV or Fubo. Both services have an array of RSNs and national NBA networks. But you won’t get any games streaming on Peacock because that service doesn’t currently offer a free trial.
How to watch the NBA preseason FAQ
Does NBA League Pass include preseason games?
Yes, you can stream select NBA preseason games on NBA League Pass. The streaming service also includes NBA TV, which airs many NBA and WNBA matchups each year.
Is the NBA preseason on Hulu?
Yes, all NBA preseason games that air on ESPN are available to stream on Hulu + Live TV. The live TV streaming service doesn’t offer NBA TV and NBA League Pass, but you can sign up for those services separately.
When does the NBA preseason start?
The 2025 NBA preseason starts on Thursday, October 2, with a matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks. in Abu Dhabi. Preseason ends on Friday, October 17, four days before NBA Opening Day.
Are NBA preseason games on Peacock?
Yes, there is at least two NBA preseason games scheduled to stream on Peacock as of publication. The first is between the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics on Tuesday, October 7. The second is between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, October 14.
Why you should trust us
Our CableTV.com sports editor, Taylor Kujawa, researched and compiled a list of every NBA preseason game this year. Using that list, he examined channel listings and compared popular TV providers to determine the best ways to watch the NBA preseason considering the league’s new TV deal. He based his provider recommendations on game counts, pricing, and ease of use.
Check out our How We Rank page to learn more about our methods.
