The 2026-27 NBA season is fast approaching, and we’ve been hard at work breaking down the NBA schedule to find basketball road trip ideas.
It promises to be another intriguing season of pro hoops. The NBA Cup will again dominate the calendar in early December, while All-Star Weekend comes to the Phoenix Suns’ Mortgage Matchup Center in February.
Meanwhile, the New York Knicks are coming off the high of winning their first championship since 1973, while the rest of the league will aim to knock them off their throne.
As you might know, we create road trip idea posts on an annual basis for the NBA and for the other major sports leagues. (Check out our current posts for the NFL and NHL for more!)
If this is your first time reading one of these posts, here are the ground rules under which we work to devise these trips (though we will bend or break a rule from time to time if the game or travel opportunity is just too good):
- We looked to pack as many games into as small a timeframe as possible, at least considering typical travel times by car (we won’t suggest you travel cross-country for games on back-to-back days, for instance).
- We try to look only at trips where you’re traveling in the same general direction as you go from city to city (so no zig-zagging around).
- We tried to limit the number of times you see a particular team to twice (admittedly difficult, as many times it’s easier to plan a trip through a region because a certain team is on a road swing through it).
- And we looked only at minimum four-city trips, because longer trips are always more fun.
We find that basketball in particular presents a challenge because of the number of cities whose only major sports team is an NBA franchise. This makes the geographical landscape look a lot different than other leagues.
Keep reading to see some of the road trip ideas that the 2026-27 NBA schedule presents. And don’t forget that you can buy NBA game tickets on Vivid Seats.
1) The East Coast opener
Tuesday, Oct. 20: 76ers at Knicks
Wednesday, Oct. 21: Hornets at Nets
Thursday, Oct. 22: Cavaliers at 76ers
Friday, Oct. 23: Raptors at Wizards
Saturday, Oct. 24: Heat at Hornets
Start the 2026-27 NBA schedule with a bang! Start on opening night by joining the Knicks for their banner raising at Madison Square Garden against LeBron and the 76ers. If the demand for the team’s games in the Finals were any indication, you’ll need deep pockets for this one.
From there, you can check off New York’s other NBA arena, Barclays Center, before heading south with stops at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Capital One Arena in Washington and finally, Spectrum Center in Charlotte.
2) Fall Western swing
Wednesday, Nov. 4: Heat at Clippers
Friday, Nov. 6: Trail Blazers at Lakers
Saturday, Nov. 7: Magic at Warriors
Sunday, Nov. 8: Heat at Kings
With Halloween in the rearview mirror, head west and see most of the NBA’s Pacific Division teams on this California swing. Begin in L.A. with games at the Clippers’ Intuit Dome and the Lakers’ Crypto.com Arena, then go north for the weekend to check out the Warriors’ Chase Center and the Kings’ Golden 1 Center.
Want to complete the Pacific Division circuit? Then backtrack your way into Arizona and catch the Suns taking on the Spurs at Mortgage Matchup Center on Monday, Nov. 9.
3) Post-Thanksgiving tour
Saturday, Nov. 28: 76ers at Rockets
Sunday, Nov. 29: Celtics at Spurs
Monday, Nov. 30: Celtics at Mavericks
Wednesday, Dec. 2: Nets at Thunder
After the Thanksgiving holiday, pick up the 2026-27 NBA schedule with this Texas tour that stops at all three of the state’s arenas: Toyota Center in Houston, Frost Bank Center in San Antonio and American Airlines Center in Dallas. Then cross over into Oklahoma and see the Thunder at Paycom Center to round out the trip.
4) The Christmas week epic
Sunday, Dec. 20: Thunder at Hawks
Monday, Dec. 21: 76ers at Hornets
Tuesday, Dec. 22: Raptors at Wizards
Wednesday, Dec. 23: Rockets at 76ers
Friday, Dec. 25: Spurs at Knicks
Saturday, Dec. 26: Pelicans at Nets
Monday, Dec. 28: Cavaliers at Celtics
Why not spend your holiday week rolling up I-95 and checking off a boatload of NBA arenas? Try this seven-game journey on for size, with games at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Spectrum Center in Charlotte, Capital One Arena in Washington, Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Madison Square Garden in New York, Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and finally TD Garden in Boston. Whew!
And yes, that Christmas Day NBA Finals rematch between the Spurs and Knicks should command top dollar for tickets, but hey, it should be an electric atmosphere, right?
5) Super Bowl-week hoops
Sunday, Feb. 7: Jazz at Timberwolves
Monday, Feb. 8: Magic at Bucks
Tuesday, Feb. 9: Warriors at Bulls
Wednesday, Feb. 10: Cavaliers at Pacers
Friday: Feb. 12: Clippers at Grizzlies
Sunday, Feb. 14: Clippers at Pelicans
If you’re also a fan of the NFL, you could sit on your hands waiting for the Super Bowl on Feb. 14, or you can spend the time watching some NBA action!
Take a look at this trip that spans the entire country, starting at Target Center in Minnesota and finishing a week later at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Along the way you’ll see Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum, Chicago’s United Center, Indiana’s Gainbridge Fieldhouse and Memphis’ FedExForum.
And don’t worry, that game on Super Bowl Sunday is at 1 p.m. Central time, giving you plenty of time afterward to find a nice spot in the French Quarter for the big game.
6) Spring break and hoops
Saturday, March 27: Celtics at Heat
Sunday, March 28: Knicks at Magic
Monday, March 29: Timberwolves at Hawks
Tuesday, March 30: Heat at Hornets
Wednesday, March 31: Bulls at Wizards
Spring break will be in full swing — and the 2026-27 NBA schedule will be well into the stretch run — when you arrive in Miami on Easter weekend for the start of this road trip at the Heat’s Kaseya Center.
From that starting point, head north with stops at Orlando’s Kia Center, Atlanta’s State Farm Arena, Charlotte’s Spectrum Center and finally, Washington’s Capital One Arena.
7) The final-week frenzy
Monday, April 5: Nets at Cavaliers
Tuesday, April 6: 76ers at Raptors
Wednesday, April 7: Pacers at Pistons
Thursday, April 8: Knicks at Bucks
Friday, April 9: Bucks at Bulls
Sunday, April 11: Rockets at Timberwolves
With the 2026-27 NBA regular season in its final week, why not round out the schedule with this weeklong slate of juicy matchups?
Begin with the Cavs facing the Nets at Rocket Arena, then make a quick foray into Canada and see LeBron and the Sixers taking on the Raptors at Scotiabank Arena.
From there, cross the border again and head to Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena, Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum and Chicago’s United Center. Then round out the regular season with a potential KD vs. Ant showdown at Minnesota’s Target Center. What a finish!
Whether you decide to do one of the journeys above or craft your own itinerary, we’d love to hear about your travel schedule during the 2026-27 NBA season! Leave a comment for us below or email us with your own ideas.
