What Time Do NBA Games Come On?
It’s hard to keep track of all the NBA games without a schedule. Here’s a list of what time NBA games come on so you don’t miss a single game.
Eastern Time
Today’s NBA game schedule is available here. The first game of the day tips off at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (4:00 p.m. Pacific Time).
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a professional basketball team based in Massachusetts. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of the league’s original eight teams, the team play their home games at TD Garden, which they share with the National Hockey League (NHL)’s Boston Bruins. The Celtics are one of the most successful teams in NBA history; as of 2019, they have won 22 conference championships, 18 division championships, and 23 overall championships, which includes an unprecedented 8 straight wins from 1959 to 1966.
Brooklyn Nets
Eastern Time (ET) is a generic term used to describe the areas that observe either the Eastern Standard Time (EST) or Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) in the United States. The Brooklyn Nets play their home games at Barclays Center, which is located in Brooklyn, New York. Barclays Center is in the Eastern Time Zone (UTC-05:00).
New York Knicks
The New York Knicks are a professional basketball team based in New York City. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The Knicks play their home games at Madison Square Garden, an arena they share with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). They are one of two NBA teams located in New York City; the other team is the Brooklyn Nets.
The Knicks were founded in 1946 as a charter member of the Basketball Association of America (BAA). They played in New York’s Madison Square Garden for their first 47 years, until 1968, when they moved to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Upper Manhattan. During this time, they were successful, winning two BAA and NBA Championships. In 1970, they moved back to Madison Square Garden, which remains their home today.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team in the NBA. The team is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at the Wells Fargo Center. The 76ers were founded in 1946 as the Syracuse Nationals, before moving to Philadelphia in 1963. The team has won three NBA championships, and are one of the most successful teams in NBA history.
The 76ers play their games in the Eastern Time Zone (ET). ET is five hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), and four hours behind Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). When daylight saving time is not in effect, ET is equal to EDT.
The team’s games are broadcast on several television networks, including ESPN, TNT, and NBATV.
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA’s expansion into Canada. When the Grizzlies relocated to Memphis, Tennessee to become the Memphis Grizzlies in 2001, the Raptors became the only Canadian-based team in the NBA.
The Raptors play their home games at the Scotiabank Arena, which they share with the National Hockey League’s Toronto Maple Leafs. The team was founded by Ottawa Senators owner Bruce Firestone. Jack McFarlane, a former president of Legends Football League Canada and an original investor in Major League Soccer (MLS), served as the first president and general manager until 1997 when he was replaced by WayneEmbry. Isiah Thomas assumed full control of basketball operations prior to 1999 season.
The team has qualified for six playoffs since 1999 but never advanced past second round until 2016–17 season where they reached conference finals for first time ever using largely Same core players: Andrea Bargnani, Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon and Jorge Garbajosa; under head coach Sam Mitchell and general manager Bryan Colangelo. In 2012–13 season, they won their first ever division title after Atlantic Division shifted to weaker Eastern Conference. In 2015–16 season, Raptor set franchise record for most wins in regular season with 56 but were eventually swept by LeBron James and Cleveland Cavaliers in Eastern Conference Finals despite having home court advantage as 2nd seed. In 2016–17 off-season, Raptors acquired All-Star small forward Kawhi Leonard from San Antonio Spurs while DeMar DeRozan signed contract extension worth US$139 million over five years; also fired head coach Dwane Casey after seven seasons and hired Nick Nurse who previously served as assistant coach since 2013
Central Time
All times are Central Time unless otherwise noted.
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are a professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 16, 1966 and played its first game during the 1966–67 NBA season. The Bulls play their home games at the United Center, an arena located on the Near West Side of Chicago.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are members of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Cavaliers play their home games at Quicken Loans Arena, which they share with the National Hockey League’s Columbus Blue Jackets.
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons play in the Central Time Zone, so games start at either 6 or 7 pm CT.
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers play their home games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Fieldhouse is located in downtown Indianapolis, just northwest of Lucas Oil Stadium. The arena is also home to the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament.
The Pacers play most of their games on weekdays, with the exception of a few Saturday and Sunday games. The majority of their games start at 7:00 pm EST, but some start earlier at 6:00 pm EST or later at 8:00 pm EST.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and play at the Fiserv Forum. Former U.S. Senator Herb Kohl was the long-time owner of the team, but on April 16, 2014, a group led by billionaire hedge fund managers Wesley Edens and Marc Lasry agreed to purchase a majority interest in the Bucks from Kohl, a sale which was approved by the NBA on May 15. The new owners promised $100 million for a new arena, which was realized with the construction of the Fiserv Forum that opened in August 2018.
Mountain Time
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The NBA Finals are the championship series of the NBA and the conclusion of the sport’s postseason. All NBA Finals have been staged in prime time.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets play their home games at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. The team is currently in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Mountain time is six hours behind Eastern time, so games that tip off at 7:00 pm ET will start at 1:00 pm MT. This usually means that late afternoon games will be shown on national television networks like ESPN, while early afternoon or weekend games might only be available on local channels.
If you’re a fan of the Nuggets, make sure to check your TV schedule or the NBA website to see when their next game is!
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded on January 13, 1989, but play their first game in late November of that year.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Thunder competes in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays its home games at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The Thunder was established in 1967 as the Seattle SuperSonics, an expansion team that joined the NBA for the 1967–68 season. The SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City in 2008 after a settlement was reached between the franchise and the city following a lawsuit. In Seattle, the SuperSonics qualified for the NBA playoffs 22 times, won their division six times, advanced to three NBA Finals, and won the 1979 NBA Championship. In Oklahoma City, the Thunder made their first playoff appearance during the 2010–11 season. They won their first division title as well as their first Western Conference championship during the 2012–13 season when they made it to the NBA Finals for just their second time in franchise history without shrinking much from expectations under head coach Billy Donovan. As of October 2019, only five players (Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant from 2008 to 2016; Camby from 2010 to 2011; Perkins from 2014 to 2015; and George since 2017) have played all 12 seasons with OKC
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association as a member of the league’s Western Conference Northwest Division. The franchise was founded in 1970, and played its home games in Memorial Coliseum before moving to Moda Center in 1995 (called the Rose Garden until 2013). The team has advanced to the NBA Finals three times, winning the NBA championship once in 1977. Their other NBA Finals appearance came in 1990 when they lost to the Detroit Pistons in five games. The Trail Blazers have made the playoffs 29 times in their 50 seasons of existence, including a streak of 21 straight appearances from 1983 through 2003, tied for the second longest streak (with 15 teams) behind only the Los Angeles Lakers century-spanning streak (1951-present).
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference, Northwest Division. Since 1991, the team has played its home games at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
Pacific Time
The time for NBA games to come on in the Pacific time zone is different than in other time zones. Most of the games are played on the West Coast, so the start times are usually later than in other parts of the country. This can be a good or a bad thing, depending on your schedule.
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 1946 in Philadelphia, the Warriors relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1962 and took the city’s name, before changing its geographic moniker to Golden State in 1971. They play their home games at the Chase Center.
The Warriors won the NBA Finals in 2015, 2017, and 2018. With the victories in 2018 and 2019, they became one of only two teams to win three consecutive NBA championships since the 1950s, along with the Chicago Bulls. They also won all four Western Conference championships during this timespan. Overall, they have appeared in ten NBA Finals, won six NBA championships, and set numerous franchise records. According to Forbes magazine, they are also ranked as one of the most valuable basketball teams worldwide with a value estimated at $3 billion in 2019.”,
“Golden State holds several team and NBA records. They hold a combined 71 regular-season and postseason wins record (73–9 during the 2015–16 season), nine playoff appearances in a row (since 2013–14), 25 consecutive wins spanning over two seasons which is an NBA regular-season record shared with two other teams; as well as winning streaks at home of 54 games (December 2015 – April 2017) and 34 games (December 2016 – December 2017), which are both currently tied for second-longest all-time for an NBA team.”
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Pacific Division. They play their home games at the Staples Center, an arena they share with cross-town rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are a professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Lakers play their home games at Staples Center, which they share with their cross-town rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers. The Lakers are one of the most successful teams in NBA history, having won 16 championships.
The Lakers’ games are shown on television in the Pacific time zone. PT is eight hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT-8). Games typically start at 7:00 pm PT, but can start as early as 5:00 pm PT or as late as 10:00 pm PT depending on the day and opponent.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns play in the Pacific Time Zone, which means that games start at 6 PM local time. This can be confusing for fans in other parts of the country, so make sure you check the schedule before you tune in.
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. They play in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings were founded in 1923 as the Rochester Seagrams, a semi-professional team in Rochester, New York. They joined the NBA in 1948 as the Pittsburgh Ironmen before moving to Cincinnati in 1957 and becoming the Cincinnati Royals.
