To watch NBA Opening Night for free in the USA, you have a few excellent options depending on whether you want to watch on a traditional TV via your local NBC affiliate or stream the games on a digital device.
The 2026/27 National Basketball Association (NBA) season tips off today, Tuesday, October 20, 2026. Jayson Tatum's Boston Celtics get the season underway, as the 2025 champions travel to face a Detroit Pistons team led by Cade Cunningham, with tip-off set for 3pm EDT.
Next, 2026 NBA Finals winners the New York Knicks get their defense of the championship underway, as Jalen Brunson and his teammates host the Philadelphia 76ers, who boast league legend LeBron James, playing for the fourth team of his storied 24-year career.
That game tips off at 7pm EDT, and will be preceded by the Knicks raising their championship banner at Madison Square Garden for the first time in 53 years. The banner-raising ceremony can be seen within NBC's NBA Showtime program from 6:30pm EDT.
Tuesday's nightcap will see the NBA's two-time and reigning Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lead his Oklahoma City Thunder side on the road at Victor Wembanyama's San Antonio Spurs, a game that tips off at 9:30pm EDT. All three games will be shown live across the United States by NBC.
Live TV Streaming Free Trials
If you don't have a traditional antenna and want to watch the full network broadcast on your streaming device, you can sign up for a temporary free trial of a premium live TV streaming service. Just remember to cancel your subscription before the trial period ends so you aren't charged a monthly bill.
Fubo is among the services that currently offers a five-day free trial for new subscribers across all packages. It's an ideal way to get access to a week's worth of NBA matchups. There's currently a first month deal which can offer customers up to $30 off.
Over-the-Air (OTA) TV Antenna
Because nationally televised games are being broadcast on major local network channels rather than premium cable networks, you can watch them 100% free using a standard digital TV antenna plugged straight into your television.
NBC Channel Numbers
For traditional cable companies such as Xfinity (Comcast), Spectrum (Charter), Cox, and Optimum, the exact channel numbers are tied directly to your city's local broadcast affiliate.
Here is where the network lands in the ten largest US television markets:
New York Metro Area
- NBC: Channel 4 (WNBC)
Los Angeles Area
- NBC: Channel 4 (KNBC)
Chicago Area
- NBC: Channel 5 (WMAQ-TV)
Dallas–Fort Worth Area
- NBC: Channel 5 (KXAS-TV)
Philadelphia Area
- NBC: Channel 10 (WCAU)
Houston Area
- NBC: Channel 2 (KPRC-TV)
Atlanta Area
- NBC: Channel 11 (WXIA-TV)
Washington, D.C. Area
- NBC: Channel 4 (WRC-TV)
Boston Area
- NBC: Channel 15 / Cable 10 (WBTS-CD)
San Francisco–Oakland–San Jose Area
- NBC: Channel 11 (KNTV)
If you are out of the country and would like to watch the US TV coverage of upcoming NBA games on your favored streaming service, you can do so by bypassing geo-restrictions by using a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
READ MORE: The best streaming VPNs for watching sports
