# NBA opening night Sports · Heat 1.8 / 10 · 5 shows · 1h 0m airtime The NBA opened its 2026-27 season on October 20 with a three-game slate on NBC and Peacock: Celtics at Pistons, 76ers at Knicks, and Thunder at Spurs. San Antonio and Oklahoma City open as co-title favorites at plus 270, with Victor Wembanyama the MVP favorite at plus 205. The league confirmed the NBA Cup final will be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse on December 11. Opening night produced 78 three-pointers across the three games, above the 74 to 75 DraftKings expected, though no result has yet shifted the title or MVP markets. Page: https://boilpoints.com/point/nba_opening_night_443530222 ## Segments - [First Take](https://boilpoints.com/u/firsttake), 2026-10-20, 12:51 to 14:14: **Previews the opening-night slate**. Runs through the opening-night slate - Knicks banner, Thunder-Spurs as a Western Conference finals rematch, Celtics-Pistons, LeBron's Sixers debut at the Garden. A preview of the same three games already on the record, with no new development. - [First Take](https://boilpoints.com/u/firsttake), 2026-10-20, 14:14 to 21:14: **Debates which team threatens a Knicks repeat**. Opening-night panel debate on which team threatens a Knicks repeat. Windhorst names the Spurs and Thunder, Perkins picks the 76ers, and Stephen A. Smith argues a healthy Oklahoma City would have beaten San Antonio. Opinion and prediction, no new development. - [First Take](https://boilpoints.com/u/firsttake), 2026-10-20, 21:14 to 28:11: **Debates whether Boston is still a contender**. Opening-night panel debate on whether Boston is still a title contender after adding Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley. Windhorst picks them to win the Atlantic Division; Perkins and Stephen A. Smith say no, with Perkins floating the play-in. Opinion and prediction, no new development. - [The Dan Patrick Show](https://boilpoints.com/u/thedanpatrickshow), 2026-10-20, 0:06 to 1:22: **Reads the opening-night title and MVP odds**. Reads the opening-night slate and the title and MVP odds off the board: Spurs and Thunder co-favorites at plus 270, Wembanyama the MVP favorite at plus 205. A quick betting-market rundown before the Grant Hill interview. New angle: The Spurs and Thunder open as co-title favorites at plus 270, with Wembanyama the MVP favorite at plus 205. - [The Dan Patrick Show](https://boilpoints.com/u/thedanpatrickshow), 2026-10-20, 19:50 to 22:01: **Argues teams no longer need to lose first**. Grant Hill, asked whether a team still needs to lose before it wins, argues the step-by-step path is gone: the Spurs missed six straight playoffs before reaching the Finals, and the Celtics won two years after a second-round loss. Ends on the co-favorites and why the Knicks aren't favored to repeat. - [The Dan Patrick Show](https://boilpoints.com/u/thedanpatrickshow), 2026-10-20, 21:55 to 24:47: **Explains the opening-night odds behind the Spurs**. Grant Hill explains the opening-night odds: the Spurs' playoff education and the Thunder's depth with Jalen Williams hurt put them ahead of the defending champion Knicks, who face a deeper East. Stays inside the odds already on the record. - [The Pat McAfee Show](https://boilpoints.com/u/thepatmcafeeshow), 2026-10-20, 37:31 to 57:40: **Interviews Silver on parity and the Cup venue**. Adam Silver joins on opening day to talk parity, the lottery rule change, gambling limits and the NBA Cup final at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The one hard new item is the Cup final venue and date, which the card did not have. New angle: The NBA Cup final will be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse on December 11. - [PTI](https://boilpoints.com/u/pti), 2026-10-20, 8:20 to 12:19: **Previews opening night with Finals rematch picks**. Opening-night preview segment that stays inside the season's launch: Wilbon picks Wembanyama and a Spurs-Knicks Finals rematch, Kornheiser insists LeBron in Philadelphia is the only storyline. No new reporting, just the hosts' framing of the year ahead. - [First Take](https://boilpoints.com/u/firsttake), 2026-10-21, 22:20 to 23:26: **Picks the Timberwolves-Heat opener**. Quick picks segment on the Timberwolves-Heat game, one of the opening-night slate. It stays inside the season-open framing already on the record, adding only a prediction and a note that Giannis is now in Miami. - [The Athletic NBA Daily](https://boilpoints.com/u/theathleticnbadaily), 2026-10-21, 2:15 to 9:22: **Recaps all three opening-night results**. Recaps all three opening-night games - Detroit's win over Boston, the Sixers' ball movement in New York, and Oklahoma City in San Antonio. Stays inside the results already on the record, adding only impressions: Detroit shouldn't be written off, Paul George fits the corner, Embiid looks slimmer, Gilgeous-Alexander was the best player on the floor. - [The Pat McAfee Show](https://boilpoints.com/u/thepatmcafeeshow), 2026-10-21, 2:57 to 6:56: **Recaps opening night and the LeBron-Jordan debate**. Runs through the opening-night slate - the Knicks losing on banner night, Paul George's 38, Detroit over Boston, Oklahoma City over San Antonio - then spends most of its time on the LeBron-Jordan debate. A recap that stays inside the results already on the record. - [The Pat McAfee Show](https://boilpoints.com/u/thepatmcafeeshow), 2026-10-21, 1:06:34 to 1:08:08: **Counts 78 threes against the betting line**. Recaps a DraftKings opening-night three-point promo and puts a number on the slate: 78 threes across the three games, above the 74-75 the book expected. Darius Butler says the volume was normal for today's NBA. New angle: 78 three-pointers were made across the three NBA opening night games, above the 74 to 75 DraftKings expected.