NBA Preseason 2026: Games, Matchups and Picks

NBA Preseason Games: 10 & 11 October, 2026 Overview

The NBA preseason schedule on October 10 and 11 will have 11 games in North America and Macao. There will be seven games on October 10 and four on October 11. Toronto will play against the Clippers in Vancouver, and Houston will play against Dallas in Macao. Other games worth watching include Miami vs. Minnesota and Phoenix vs. San Antonio. Preseason games are an opportunity for coaches to gauge the team’s rotations, combinations, and minutes. Viewers will get to see familiar faces along with new players. The performance of teams during the preseason does not necessarily indicate their performance during the regular season. Injuries and starting lineups may vary at the time of play.

NBA Preseason Games: Event Schedule

Event	Details
Main Event	NBA Preseason Games
Dates	10 – 11 October 2026
Venues	Multiple Venues as listed below
Broadcast	NBA TV, ESPN, Jio Cinema

NBA Preseason Games: Full Schedule

Date & Day	Fixture (Home vs Away)	ET	PT	IST	Venue
Saturday, October 10	Toronto Raptors vs LA Clippers	6:30 PM	3:30 PM	4:00 AM (Next day)	Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC
Saturday, October 10	Indiana Pacers vs Atlanta Hawks	7:00 PM	4:00 PM	4:30 AM (Next day)	Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Saturday, October 10	Washington Wizards vs Detroit Pistons	7:00 PM	4:00 PM	4:30 AM (Next day)	Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
Saturday, October 10	Miami Heat vs Minnesota Timberwolves	8:00 PM	5:00 PM	5:30 AM (Next day)	Kaseya Center, Miami, FL
Saturday, October 10	Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers	8:00 PM	5:00 PM	5:30 AM (Next day)	TD Garden, Boston, MA
Saturday, October 10	Golden State Warriors vs Sacramento Kings	8:30 PM	5:30 PM	6:00 AM (Next day)	Chase Center, San Francisco, CA
Saturday, October 10	Phoenix Suns vs San Antonio Spurs	10:30 PM	7:30 PM	8:00 AM (Next day)	Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix, AZ
Sunday, October 11	Houston Rockets vs Dallas Mavericks	6:00 AM	3:00 AM	3:30 PM	The Venetian Arena, Macao, China
Sunday, October 11	Cleveland Cavaliers vs Orlando Magic	6:30 PM	3:30 PM, Oct 11	4:00 AM (Next day)	Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH
Sunday, October 11	Charlotte Hornets vs Milwaukee Bucks	7:00 PM	4:00 PM, Oct 11	4:30 AM (Next day)	Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC
Sunday, October 11	Denver Nuggets vs Chicago Bulls	9:00 PM	6:00 PM	6:30 AM (Next day)	Ball Arena, Denver, CO

NBA Preseason Games: Key Matches Preview

Match 1: Toronto Raptors vs LA Clippers

Fixture	Toronto Raptors vs LA Clippers
Date	10 October 2026 (Saturday)
Time	06:30 PM ET | 03:30 PM PT | 04:00 AM IST (Next day)
Venue	Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC

NBA Projected Starters

Toronto Raptors

Position	Starter
Point Guard	Immanuel Quickley
Shooting Guard	RJ Barrett
Small Forward	Kyle Anderson
Power Forward	Scottie Barnes
Center	Jakob Poeltl

LA Clippers

Position	Starter
Point Guard	Darius Garland
Shooting Guard	Keaton Wagler
Small Forward	Derrick Jones Jr.
Power Forward	Rui Hachimura
Center	Isaiah Jackson

Head-to-Head & Team KPI Metrics (2025-26 season)

Analysis Metric	LA Clippers	Toronto Raptors
Head-to-Head History (Last Game)	119 (March 25, 2026)	94 (March 25, 2026)
Last Five Results So Far	4	1
2025 Stats: Points Per Game (PPG)	113.8	114.6
2025 Stats: Points Allowed Per Game	112.6	111.8
2025 Stats: Rebounds Per Game (RPG)	40.6	42.1
2025 Stats: Assists Per Game (APG)	23.7	29.5
2025 Stats: Turnovers Per Game (TPG)	13.6	12.9

Analysis

Toronto and Los Angeles Clippers are well-matched in terms of offensive averages. The Raptors averaged 114.6 points per game with 42.1 rebounds and 29.5 assists in the 2025–26 season. The Clippers have 113.8 points per game along with 40.6 rebounds and 23.7 assists. Toronto has the edge in rebounding and playmaking on the court. Their game is expected to be more efficient against the Los Angeles Clippers in Vancouver. However, there could be some shifts in pre-season roster composition.

The Pick: Toronto Raptors

Match 2: Miami Heat vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Fixture	Miami Heat vs Minnesota Timberwolves
Date	10 October 2026 (Saturday)
Time	08:00 PM ET | 05:00 PM PT | 05:30 AM IST (Next day)
Venue	Kaseya Center, Miami, FL

NBA Projected Starters

Miami Heat

Position	Starter
Point Guard	Davion Mitchell
Shooting Guard	Klay Thompson
Small Forward	Andrew Wiggins
Power Forward	Giannis Antetokounmpo
Center	Bam Adebayo

Minnesota Timberwolves

Position	Starter
Point Guard	LaMelo Ball
Shooting Guard	Anthony Edwards
Small Forward	Jonathan Kuminga
Power Forward	Jaden McDaniels
Center	Rudy Gobert

Head-to-Head & Team KPI Metrics (2025-26 season)

Analysis Metric	Miami Heat	Minnesota Timberwolves
Head-to-Head History (Last Game)	94 (January 6, 2026)	122 (January 6, 2026)
Last Five Results So Far	4	1
2025 Stats: Points Per Game (PPG)	120.9	118.0
2025 Stats: Points Allowed Per Game	108.4	106.5
2025 Stats: Rebounds Per Game (RPG)	46.3	44.1
2025 Stats: Assists Per Game (APG)	29.0	26.1
2025 Stats: Turnovers Per Game (TPG)	11.8	12.3

Analysis

Miami has 120.9 points, 46.3 rebounds, and 29.0 assists per game in the 2025–26 season. Minnesota scored 118.0 points, grabbed 44.1 rebounds, and assisted 26.1 times. This means Miami is better than Minnesota in scoring, rebounding, and passing the ball. The Heat have home-court advantage, but in preseason, coaches will use established players sparingly or try out unknown combinations. Avoid assertions of defensive or turnover advantage unless proven by numbers. In terms of available season averages, Miami has the edge in this NBA game.

The Pick: Miami Heat

Match 3: Phoenix Suns vs San Antonio Spurs

Fixture	Phoenix Suns vs San Antonio Spurs
Date	10 October 2026 (Saturday)
Time	10:30 PM ET | 07:30 PM PT | 08:00 AM IST (Next day)
Venue	Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix, AZ

NBA Projected Starters

Phoenix Suns

Position	Starter
Point Guard	Devin Booker
Shooting Guard	Jalen Green
Small Forward	Dillon Brooks
Power Forward	Ryan Dunn
Center	Oso Ighodaro

San Antonio Spurs

Position	Starter
Point Guard	Dylan Harper
Shooting Guard	Stephon Castle
Small Forward	Devin Vassell
Power Forward	Julian Champagnie
Center	Victor wembanyama

Head-to-Head & Team KPI Metrics (2025-26 season)

Analysis Metric	Phoenix Suns	San Antonio Spurs
Head-to-Head History (Last Game)	100 (March 18, 2026)	101 (March 18, 2026)
Last Five Results So Far	4	1
2025 Stats: Points Per Game (PPG)	112.6	119.8
2025 Stats: Points Allowed Per Game	113.2	118.6
2025 Stats: Rebounds Per Game (RPG)	43.1	47.0
2025 Stats: Assists Per Game (APG)	24.6	28.1
2025 Stats: Turnovers Per Game (TPG)	14.9	15.1

Analysis

Spurs were better on a statistical basis in 2025-26 average figures, averaging 119.8 points, 47.0 rebounds, and 28.1 assists per game. Meanwhile, Phoenix’s average figures were 112.6 points, 43.1 rebounds, and 24.6 assists. It is therefore safe to assume that the Spurs have the statistical advantage. Phoenix holds the home-court advantage, while preseason rotation can cloud regular-season average figures. It should be noted that San Antonio started their preseason with a 123-116 loss to Atlanta. Its season statistics have shown that the Spurs will dominate in this game.

The Pick: San Antonio Spurs

Match 4: Houston Rockets vs Dallas Mavericks

Fixture	Houston Rockets vs Dallas Mavericks
Date	11 October 2026 (Sunday)
Time	06:00 AM ET | 03:00 AM PT | 03:30 PM IST
Venue	Venetian Arena, Macao, China

NBA Projected Starters

Houston Rockets

Position	Starter
Point Guard	Fred VanVleet
Shooting Guard	Amen Thompson
Small Forward	Kevin Durant
Power Forward	Jabari Smith Jr.
Center	Alperen Sengun

Dallas Mavericks

Position	Starter
Point Guard	Kyrie Irving
Shooting Guard	Max Christie
Small Forward	Cooper Flagg
Power Forward	P.J. Washington
Center	Daniel Gafford

Head-to-Head & Team KPI Metrics (2025-26 season)

Analysis Metric	Houston Rockets	Dallas Mavericks
Head-to-Head History (Last Game)	111 (January 31, 2026)	107 (January 31, 2026)
Last Five Results So Far	3	2
2025 Stats: Points Per Game (PPG)	115.2	114.1
2025 Stats: Points Allowed Per Game	113.2	115.6
2025 Stats: Rebounds Per Game (RPG)	48.1	44.7
2025 Stats: Assists Per Game (APG)	25.4	25.3
2025 Stats: Turnovers Per Game (TPG)	12.7	12.5

Analysis

Houston’s averages for that season were 115.2 points, 48.1 rebounds, and 25.4 assists per game. On the other hand, Dallas had 114.1 points, 44.7 rebounds, and 25.3 assists. Houston clearly beats out Dallas in terms of rebounding. Whereas the numbers for points and assists are almost identical, which makes it clear that Houston does not dominate. They are going to play each other again in Macau on October 11 after the previous China match on October 9. Fans and analysts expect that both matches will be dominated by the Rockets.

The Pick: Houston Rockets

Conclusion

There is the preseason schedule for October 10 and 11. This gives an early insight into the teams ready for the new NBA season. Games involving Vancouver and Macau will make the upcoming weekend interesting. Pay attention to how the teams find a balance within themselves as they get ready for the next season. The performance during pre-season games will be useful but cannot always predict success in the regular season. These games will help the coaches and managers to develop their squad for the upcoming NBA regular season.