Nuggets’ 2026-27 schedule: Denver opens and closes vs. OKC, draws 28 national TV games

The NBA released its complete 2026-27 regular season schedule Thursday, and the Nuggets know the path ahead for Nikola Jokic and crew.

Denver opens Oct. 22 at Oklahoma City on ESPN — in another showdown between the two most recent MVP winners. The home opener follows two days later, Oct. 24 against New Orleans at Ball Arena. Denver plays New Orleans three times in the first 11 games, including a trip to the Smoothie King Center on Oct. 28.

The bookend: Denver closes the regular season April 11 at home against those same Thunder. OKC to open it, OKC to close it. Those late-season matchups haven’t produced the best basketball in recent years, but the final weekend matters — the last two games come against the Spurs (April 9) and Thunder, and we’ve seen late-season results swing Denver’s seeding the past few springs.

The Spurs are everywhere down the stretch — Denver plays San Antonio three times between Feb. 28 and April 9: at Moody Center in Austin (ABC), at home March 3 (ESPN) and at San Antonio on that penultimate night (Prime Video).

The Nuggets landed 28 national television games — a healthy number, but behind the league leaders. The Knicks, Spurs, 76ers and Lakers are all tied atop the list at 34 national TV appearances, followed by the Thunder at 30.

Here are some notes on the Nuggets schedule:

Denver heads to Arena CDMX in Mexico City on Nov. 7 to face the Pacers.

The Nuggets draw the Christmas nightcap at Chase Center — at Golden State, 10:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

The first crack at Minnesota doesn’t come until Dec. 28 at Ball Arena on NBC, and the rivals run it back three days later on New Year’s Eve in Minneapolis on Prime Video.

Both games are part of a marquee late-December stretch that also includes a trip through California to the Clippers (Dec. 21) and Lakers (Dec. 23, Prime Video) before Christmas Day in San Francisco.

Denver is featured in Rivals Week twice: Jan. 27 at Minnesota on ESPN and Jan. 30 at Oklahoma City on ABC.

A trip to the reigning champions, Madison Square Garden, comes Jan. 11 on Peacock.

One to watch late: Philadelphia visits Denver on March 28 on NBC. This could be LeBron James’ final game at Ball Arena. If not — at least it’s the annual Joel Embiid dodge game.

The Nuggets have 14 back-to-backs, down from last season’s 17. The longest road trip is four games, which happens multiple times. January is the grind month — 17 games, including a seven-game, 11-night homestand (Jan. 14-25) and two 5-in-7 stretches. The Nuggets are projected for 56 flights before NBA Cup games are factored in, six fewer than last season’s full 82-game slate thanks to the Memphis reschedule, per Matt Moore.

The full NBA season tips off Oct. 20 with a tripleheader on NBC/Peacock: Celtics at Pistons, defending champion Knicks hosting the 76ers for LeBron’s Philadelphia home debut, and Spurs vs. Thunder in a Western Conference Finals rematch. The regular season wraps April 11 with all 30 teams in action.

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