NBA 2026-27: 16 October 2026 – Preseason Games Overview
NBA 2026-27 Preseason will proceed on Friday, October 16, with 12 games taking place throughout the country. These games will provide teams with yet another chance to assess their rotations before the start of the regular season. Fans will get a chance to see Orlando play against Miami at Kia Center. Similarly, Philadelphia faces off against Boston. Golden State will also meet Portland at Chase Center, repeating their previous preseason game. The Lakers are welcoming Denver for a major clash in the Western Conference.
Detroit takes on Toronto, Indiana plays Milwaukee, and Dallas games up with Atlanta. San Antonio meets up with Sacramento, Memphis battles against Charlotte, while New Orleans meets up with Washington. Chicago will play its game with Minnesota. Phoenix and Utah round off the list of games. The above games are all played on Friday according to United States local time. For Indian audiences, the tip-off dates are on Saturday, October 17. Potential line-ups for the players and teams’ statistical performances are discussed below.
NBA 2026-27: Full Schedule
Date & day
Fixtures
ET
PT
IST
Venue
16 October 2026, Friday
Orlando Magic vs Miami Heat
7:00 PM
4:00 PM
4:30 AM (Next day)
Kia Center, Orlando, FL
16 October 2026, Friday
Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics
7:00 PM
4:00 PM
4:30 AM (Next day)
Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
16 October 2026, Friday
Detroit Pistons vs Toronto Raptors
7:00 PM
4:00 PM
4:30 AM (Next day)
Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI
16 October 2026, Friday
Indiana Pacers vs Milwaukee Bucks
7:00 PM
4:00 PM
4:30 AM (Next day)
Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
16 October 2026, Friday
Dallas Mavericks vs Atlanta Hawks
8:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:30 AM (Next day)
American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
16 October 2026, Friday
San Antonio Spurs vs Sacramento Kings
8:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:30 AM (Next day)
Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX
16 October 2026, Friday
Memphis Grizzlies vs Charlotte Hornets
8:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:30 AM (Next day)
FedExForum, Memphis, TN
16 October 2026, Friday
New Orleans Pelicans vs Washington Wizards
8:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:30 AM (Next day)
Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
16 October 2026, Friday
Chicago Bulls vs Minnesota Timberwolves
8:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:30 AM (Next day)
United Center, Chicago, IL
16 October 2026, Friday
Golden State Warriors vs Portland Trail Blazers
10:00 PM
7:00 PM
7:30 AM (Next day)
Chase Center, San Francisco, CA
16 October 2026, Friday
Phoenix Suns vs Utah Jazz
10:00 PM
7:00 PM
7:30 AM (Next day)
Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix, AZ
16 October 2026, Friday
Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets
10:30 PM
7:30 PM
8:00 AM (Next day)
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
NBA 2026-27: Key Match Previews
Match 1: Orlando Magic vs Miami Heat
Event
Orlando Magic vs Miami Heat
Date
16 October 2026 (Friday)
Time
07:00 PM ET | 04:00 PM PT | 04:30 AM IST (Next day)
Venue
Kia Center, Orlando, FL
NBA Projected Lineups
Orlando Magic
Position
Starter
Point Guard
Jalen Suggs
Shooting Guard
Desmond Bane
Small Forward
Franz Wagner
Power Forward
Paolo Banchero
Center
Wendell Carter Jr.
Miami Heat
Position
Starter
Point Guard
Ryan Conwell
Shooting Guard
Klay Thompson
Small Forward
Andrew Wiggins
Power Forward
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Center
Bobby Portis
Team Stats and Performance Analysis
Statistical Metric
Miami Heat
Orlando Magic
Preseason Record (2026-27)
2–1
2–1
Points Per Game (PPG)
120.9
115.7
Rebounds Per Game (RPG)
46.3
43.4
Assists Per Game (APG)
29.0
26.5
Opponent PPG (OPPG)
118.5
115.1
Three-Point % (3P%)
37.8%
36.2%
Free-Throw % (FT%)
78.1%
75.4%
Field-Goal % (FG%)
48.4%
46.9%
Turnovers Per Game
13.1
13.7
Analysis
The statistics favor Miami, having a score average of 120.9 points per game and 46.3 rebounds. Miami is also leading in assists, shooting percentages, and turnover control. Orlando gives up fewer points per game, and this may restrict the points scored by Miami. The two teams have equal records of 2–1 in the preseason games. The statistics favor Miami in offensive scoring, but Orlando’s home advantage may keep the game even. These stats are based on their previous meetings in this preseason.
The Pick: Miami Heat
Match 2: Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics
Event
Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics
Date
16 October 2026 (Friday)
Time
07:00 PM ET | 04:00 PM PT | 04:30 AM IST (Next day)
Venue
Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
NBA Projected Lineups
Philadelphia 76ers
Position
Starter
Point Guard
Tyrese Maxey
Shooting Guard
VJ Edgecombe
Small Forward
Jaylen Brown
Power Forward
Dean Wade
Center
Joel Embiid
Boston Celtics
Position
Starter
Point Guard
Derrick White
Shooting Guard
Baylor Scheierman
Small Forward
Paul George
Power Forward
Jayson Tatum
Center
Neemias Queta
Team Stats and Performance Analysis
Statistical Metric
Philadelphia 76ers
Boston Celtics
Final Score (Previous Game)
106
144
Total Rebounds
34
63
Assists
27
35
Three-Pointers Made
15
22
Three-Point % (3P%)
28.3%
45.8%
Free Throws Made/Att.
27/33
22/31
Free-Throw % (FT%)
81.8%
71.0%
Points in the Paint
26
52
Points off Turnovers
26
43
Steals
11
16
Turnovers
22
20
Analysis
In their last preseason game, Boston beat Philadelphia 144-106. Boston grabbed 63 rebounds and dished out 35 assists. They also scored 22 points from the three-point range with 45.8% efficiency. Philadelphia shot only 28.3% from beyond the arc. In addition, Boston also scored 52 points in the paint and turned turnovers into 43 points. The 76ers have converted many free throws more efficiently. Their overall performance remains drained this season.
The Pick: Boston Celtics
Match 3: Golden State Warriors vs Portland Trail Blazers
Event
Golden State Warriors vs Portland Trail Blazers
Date
16 October 2026 (Friday)
Time
10:00 PM ET | 07:00 PM PT | 07:30 AM IST (Next day)
Venue
Chase Center, San Francisco, CA
NBA Projected Lineups
Golden State Warriors
Position
Starter
Point Guard
Stephen Curry
Shooting Guard
Brandin Podziemski
Small Forward
Yaxel Lendeborg
Power Forward
Gui Santos
Center
Charles Bassey
Portland Trail Blazers
Position
Starter
Point Guard
Damian Lillard
Shooting Guard
Ja Morant
Small Forward
Toumani Camara
Power Forward
Deni Avdija
Center
Donovan Clingan
Team Stats and Performance Analysis
Statistical Metric
Golden State Warriors
Portland Trail Blazers
Final Score (Previous game)
118
123
Total Rebounds
40
50
Assists
26
34
Three-Pointers Made
19
17
Three-Point % (3P%)
55.9%
38.6%
Free Throws Made/Att.
15/24
16/21
Free-Throw % (FT%)
62.5%
76.2%
Points in the Paint
36
54
Fast-Break Points
18
25
Turnovers
19
21
Analysis
Last preseason game, Portland beat Golden State 123-118 in the pre-season match-up. They grabbed 50 rebounds and dished 34 assists. The Blazers got 54 points in the paint, compared to Golden State’s 36 points in the paint. Golden State shot 19 threes, while Portland shot 17 threes. Despite making 19 three-point shots, Golden State failed at the charity line with only 15 of 24 free throws made. Portland’s rebounding and field-goal scoring create more advantage for them.
The Pick: Portland Trail Blazers
Match 4: Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets
Event
Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets
Date
16 October 2026 (Friday)
Time
10:30 PM ET | 07:30 PM PT | 08:00 AM IST (Next day)
Venue
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
NBA Projected Lineups
Los Angeles Lakers
Position
Starter
Point Guard
Luka Doncic
Shooting Guard
Austin Reaves
Small Forward
Quentin Grimes
Power Forward
Jake LaRavia
Center
Walker Kessler
Denver Nuggets
Position
Starter
Point Guard
Jamal Murray
Shooting Guard
Christian Braun
Small Forward
Cameron Johnson
Power Forward
Aaron Gordon
Center
Nikola Jokic
Team Stats and Performance Analysis
Statistics
Los Angeles Lakers
Denver Nuggets
Preseason record (2026-27)
2–2
2–1
Points per game (PPG)
113.0
115.7
Rebounds per game (RPG)
41.0
44.0
Assists per game (APG)
25.9
29.0
Opponent points per game (OPPG)
112.3
118.1
Three-point percentage (3P%)
35.9%
39.6%
Free-throw percentage (FT%)
76.3%
80.8%
Field-goal percentage (FG%)
50.2%
49.6%
Turnovers per game
13.8
12.2
Analysis
There is a slight edge in scoring for the Denver Nuggets at 115.7 compared to the Los Angeles Lakers’ 113.0. The Denver team dominates in rebounds, assists, and free throws. The LA Lakers lead in field-goal percentage, while Denver excels in three-point shooting percentage. Each team has posted identical 2–1 records in their pre-season games. Nonetheless, all these statistics need verification using the same game range. Denver’s ball movement and rebounding technique will make this game more competitive.
The Pick: Denver Nuggets
Conclusion
October 16’s preseason schedule offers one more opportunity for NBA teams to prepare for the next regular season. Orlando and Miami will try to work on their team dynamics prior to their future difficult games. Philadelphia and Boston play each other once again after the impressive victory of the latter team. Golden State should make up for the loss of their match with Portland. Lakers and the Nuggets will give an exciting match once again. Nevertheless, most preseason games have substitutions.
Hence, past scores and the performance of the teams should be used for analysis as opposed to picking alone. The lineup should also be confirmed, and injury information and other recent information should be available prior to picking. In addition, the schedule gives the fans an insight into what to expect from each team from both conferences. Indian fans should note that all the games will start the following morning according to IST. With facts and figures, this preview can make the match more interesting.