Preseason Programming Lineup to Feature Open Court, NBA GameTime, Team Previews & Expanded “82 Burning Questions” Themed Episodes of The Starters
NBA TV will televise 21 live preseason games in 13 days giving fans their first opportunity to see many of the NBA’s top stars back in action including multiple appearances by the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, along with early looks at highly-anticipated rookies and new-look teams such as the Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves. NBA TV will also be home to expansive studio coverage and original programming, including new episodes of Open Court and The Starters, season previews for all 30 teams, and NBA GameTime nightly throughout the season.
The network’s preseason schedule will tip off with Jimmy Butler making his debut with the Timberwolves in Anaheim, facing the Lakers and first round pick Lonzo Ball on Saturday, Sept. 30, at 10 p.m. ET.
Additional game highlights include:
Monday, Oct. 2 – The Celtics’ preseason opener against the Charlotte Hornets will offer a first glimpse of Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward and Dwight Howard in action with their respective new teams at 7:30 p.m., followed by a Western Conference matchup with the Denver Nuggets and new acquisition Paul Millsap visiting the Lakers and Ball at 10:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 3 – A tripleheader night tips off with a pair of teams debuting All-Star additions from this past off-season with the Houston Rockets and Chris Paul against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Paul George at 8 p.m. Later in the night, the Phoenix Suns and first-round pick Josh Jackson will visit the Portland Trail Blazers and Damian Lillard at 10 p.m. The night wraps up with the Toronto Raptors and DeMar DeRozan facing the LA Clippers and Blake Griffin from Honolulu at 1 a.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 4 – The NBA Champion Warriors and Cavaliers are both in action as the network features a second straight tripleheader. In the first telecast, the Cavaliers and LeBron James – making their preseason debut – will host the Atlanta Hawks and Dennis Schroder at 7 p.m., followed by the Nuggets and Lakers at 10 p.m. The night’s action concludes with NBA China Games 2017 presented by Master Kong featuring the Warriors and Kevin Durant against the Timberwolves and Karl-Anthony Towns from Shenzhen, China, at 2 a.m.
Friday, Oct. 6 – Two of this year’s top three NBA Draft picks will face off as the Philadelphia 76ers and first overall pick Markelle Fultz host the Celtics and third overall pick Jayson Tatum at 7 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 8 – The Warriors and Stephen Curry will meet the Timberwolves and Andrew Wiggins at 7 a.m. in Shanghai to conclude NBA China Games 2017 presented by Master Kong. Later in the day, the Cavaliers and James will visit the Washington Wizards and John Wall at 3 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 9 – The Rockets and James Harden will visit the New York Knicks and Carmelo Anthony at 7:30 p.m., followed by the Sacramento Kings and first-round pick De’Aaron Fox hosting the Trail Blazers and Lillard at 10 p.m.
Additional programming highlights:
Coverage of NBA Media Day on Monday, Sept. 25
NBA TV and NBA.com will feature live coverage of NBA Media Day on Monday, Sept. 25, beginning at 1 p.m. with on-site reports from around the league. Matt Winer will host Monday’s coverage with analysts Kevin McHale and Isiah Thomas. Jared Greenberg will contribute as a reporter in studio, while David Aldridge (Boston), Kristen Ledlow (Cleveland), Steve Smith (Houston), Dennis Scott (Oklahoma City), Ros Gold-Onwude (Golden State), Steve Aschburner (Minnesota), Rebecca Haarlow (Knicks) and Jaime Maggio (Lakers) will contribute on location at team sites.
Popular Open Court Series Returns with Four New Shows Starting Tuesday, Sept. 26
NBA TV will premiere four new Open Court shows starting with a roundtable of current NBA executives on Tuesday, Sept. 26, at 8 p.m., followed by a coaches discussion on Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. and the first-ever owners panel on Friday, Oct. 6, at 9:30 p.m. The final new episode will preview the upcoming NBA season with a collection of NBA TV and TNT commentators on Tuesday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m.
Team Previews Start Wednesday, Sept. 27
NBA TV will offer in-depth coverage of all 30 NBA teams with back-to-back 30-minute NBA Team Previews airing nightly at 6 and 6:30 p.m. beginning Wednesday, Sept. 27, with the Warriors and Cavaliers. The first week’s schedule will also include the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, Sept. 28, the Wizards and Knicks on Friday, Sept. 29, and the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday, Sept. 30.
“82 Burning Questions” with The Starters
The Starters will preview the regular season with an expanded “82 Burning Questions” over the course of nine special preseason episodes airing weekdays beginning Tuesday, Oct. 3, at 5:30 p.m. J.E. Skeets, Tas Melas, Trey Kerby and Leigh Ellis will cover a wide range of topics ranging from this year’s eventful off-season to what they’re looking forward to in the upcoming 2017-18 NBA season.
NBA GameTime Throughout the Preseason
The league’s signature studio show, NBA GameTime, will continue to provide insight and commentary throughout the preseason including analysis from the show’s deep roster of contributors.
Following is NBA TV’s preseason schedule:
