Four preseason tune-ups, then Detroit on NBC to open it for real. The 2026-27 Boston Celtics schedule doesn’t ease into the regular slate so much as sprint into it — three of the first five real games come at TD Garden, including a stretch where Chicago shows up twice in five days.
2026-27 Boston Celtics Preseason Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Oct 8, 2026 | AT Cleveland | 7:00 PM | Rocket Arena |
| Sat, Oct 10, 2026 | Philadelphia | 8:00 PM | TD Garden |
| Wed, Oct 14, 2026 | Charlotte | 7:30 PM | TD Garden |
| Fri, Oct 16, 2026 | AT Philadelphia | 7:00 PM | Xfinity Mobile Arena |
2026-27 Boston Celtics Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | TV | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue, Oct 20, 2026 | AT Detroit | 3:00 PM | NBC | Little Caesars Arena |
| Fri, Oct 23, 2026 | New York | 7:00 PM | AMZN | TD Garden |
| Mon, Oct 26, 2026 | Chicago | 7:30 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Tue, Oct 27, 2026 | Brooklyn | 7:30 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Fri, Oct 30, 2026 | Chicago | 7:30 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Sun, Nov 1, 2026 | AT Orlando | 3:30 PM | — | Kia Center |
| Mon, Nov 2, 2026 | AT Houston | 8:30 PM | — | Toyota Center |
| Wed, Nov 4, 2026 | Milwaukee | 7:30 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Fri, Nov 6, 2026 | AT Charlotte | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Sun, Nov 8, 2026 | AT Milwaukee | 8:00 PM | — | Fiserv Forum |
| Tue, Nov 10, 2026 | AT Philadelphia | 8:00 PM | NBC | Xfinity Mobile Arena |
| Wed, Nov 11, 2026 | AT Toronto | 7:00 PM | — | Scotiabank Arena |
| Sun, Nov 15, 2026 | Dallas | 6:00 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Mon, Nov 16, 2026 | Orlando | 7:00 PM | NBCS | TD Garden |
| Wed, Nov 18, 2026 | AT Denver | 9:00 PM | — | Ball Arena |
| Sat, Nov 21, 2026 | AT Sacramento | 10:00 PM | — | Golden 1 Center |
| Sun, Nov 22, 2026 | AT Golden St. | 8:30 PM | — | Chase Center |
| Tue, Nov 24, 2026 | AT Washington | 8:00 PM | NBC | Capital One Arena |
| Fri, Nov 27, 2026 | Atlanta | 8:00 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Sun, Nov 29, 2026 | AT San Antonio | 4:00 PM | — | Frost Bank Center |
| Mon, Nov 30, 2026 | AT Dallas | 8:00 PM | — | American Airlines Center |
| Wed, Dec 2, 2026 | Charlotte | 7:30 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Sun, Dec 13, 2026 | AT Brooklyn | 3:00 PM | — | Barclays Center |
| Mon, Dec 14, 2026 | Washington | 7:30 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Wed, Dec 16, 2026 | Washington | 7:00 PM | ESPN | TD Garden |
| Fri, Dec 18, 2026 | Utah | 7:30 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Sun, Dec 20, 2026 | Detroit | 8:00 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Wed, Dec 23, 2026 | Portland | 7:30 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Fri, Dec 25, 2026 | Miami | 2:30 PM | ABC | TD Garden |
| Mon, Dec 28, 2026 | Cleveland | 8:00 PM | NBC | TD Garden |
| Wed, Dec 30, 2026 | AT Chicago | 8:00 PM | — | United Center |
| Fri, Jan 1, 2027 | AT Utah | 9:30 PM | — | Delta Center |
| Sat, Jan 2, 2027 | AT Portland | 10:00 PM | — | Moda Center at the Rose Quarter |
| Mon, Jan 4, 2027 | AT Phoenix | 9:00 PM | — | Mortgage Matchup Center |
| Thu, Jan 7, 2027 | AT L.A. Lakers | 10:00 PM | AMZN | Crypto.com Arena |
| Sat, Jan 9, 2027 | AT L.A. Clippers | 10:30 PM | — | Intuit Dome |
| Mon, Jan 11, 2027 | Houston | 7:30 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Wed, Jan 13, 2027 | New York | 7:00 PM | ESPN | TD Garden |
| Sat, Jan 16, 2027 | Brooklyn | 7:00 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Mon, Jan 18, 2027 | AT Washington | 3:00 PM | — | Capital One Arena |
| Wed, Jan 20, 2027 | Indiana | 7:30 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Thu, Jan 21, 2027 | Philadelphia | 7:30 PM | AMZN | TD Garden |
| Sat, Jan 23, 2027 | Charlotte | 7:00 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Mon, Jan 25, 2027 | Toronto | 7:00 PM | NBCS | TD Garden |
| Wed, Jan 27, 2027 | L.A. Clippers | 7:30 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Fri, Jan 29, 2027 | Phoenix | 7:30 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Sun, Jan 31, 2027 | AT Toronto | 6:00 PM | — | Scotiabank Arena |
| Tue, Feb 2, 2027 | L.A. Lakers | 8:00 PM | NBC | TD Garden |
| Thu, Feb 4, 2027 | AT Charlotte | 7:30 PM | AMZN | Spectrum Center |
| Fri, Feb 5, 2027 | AT Atlanta | 7:00 PM | — | State Farm Arena |
| Sun, Feb 7, 2027 | AT Philadelphia | 7:00 PM | NBC | Xfinity Mobile Arena |
| Tue, Feb 9, 2027 | Denver | 7:30 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Wed, Feb 10, 2027 | Golden St. | 7:30 PM | ESPN | TD Garden |
| Fri, Feb 12, 2027 | Minnesota | 8:00 PM | AMZN | TD Garden |
| Sun, Feb 14, 2027 | Toronto | 1:00 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Wed, Feb 17, 2027 | AT Oklahoma City | 9:30 PM | ESPN | Paycom Center |
| Thu, Feb 18, 2027 | AT Memphis | 8:00 PM | — | FedExForum |
| Fri, Feb 26, 2027 | Cleveland | 7:30 PM | ESPN | TD Garden |
| Sun, Feb 28, 2027 | AT Minnesota | 7:00 PM | NBC | Target Center |
| Tue, Mar 2, 2027 | AT Indiana | 7:00 PM | — | Gainbridge Fieldhouse |
| Fri, Mar 5, 2027 | AT Detroit | 7:00 PM | ESPN | Little Caesars Arena |
| Sun, Mar 7, 2027 | Philadelphia | 1:00 PM | ABC | TD Garden |
| Tue, Mar 9, 2027 | AT Chicago | 8:00 PM | — | United Center |
| Thu, Mar 11, 2027 | Memphis | 7:30 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Fri, Mar 12, 2027 | Oklahoma City | 7:30 PM | AMZN | TD Garden |
| Sun, Mar 14, 2027 | AT New York | 12:00 PM | ABC | Madison Square Garden |
| Tue, Mar 16, 2027 | Sacramento | 7:30 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Thu, Mar 18, 2027 | Orlando | 7:30 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Sun, Mar 21, 2027 | New Orleans | 3:00 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Tue, Mar 23, 2027 | AT Brooklyn | 7:30 PM | — | Barclays Center |
| Wed, Mar 24, 2027 | San Antonio | 7:30 PM | ESPN | TD Garden |
| Sat, Mar 27, 2027 | AT Miami | 8:00 PM | — | Kaseya Center |
| Sun, Mar 28, 2027 | AT New Orleans | 7:00 PM | — | Smoothie King Center |
| Tue, Mar 30, 2027 | AT Indiana | 8:00 PM | — | Gainbridge Fieldhouse |
| Thu, Apr 1, 2027 | AT Cleveland | 7:00 PM | AMZN | Rocket Arena |
| Fri, Apr 2, 2027 | Miami | 7:30 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Sun, Apr 4, 2027 | AT New York | 7:30 PM | NBC | Madison Square Garden |
| Wed, Apr 7, 2027 | AT Orlando | 7:00 PM | — | Kia Center |
| Fri, Apr 9, 2027 | AT Atlanta | 7:00 PM | — | State Farm Arena |
| Sun, Apr 11, 2027 | Milwaukee | 6:00 PM | — | TD Garden |
Preseason Sets Up a Quick Philadelphia Rematch
The Boston Celtics preseason schedule 2026 is short but pointed — four games, and Philadelphia shows up twice in six days, home on October 10 and a return trip on October 16. Charlotte and Cleveland round out the exhibition slate before the real thing starts October 20 in Detroit.
A Christmas Day Showcase on ABC
Once the regular season gets going, the biggest national spotlight lands December 25 — Miami visits TD Garden at 2:30 p.m. ET on ABC, the kind of holiday slot reserved for teams the league wants on national TV. It’s one of six nationally televised games on NBC alone (Detroit, Philadelphia twice, Washington, Cleveland, both L.A. Lakers meetings), on top of five ESPN dates and four Amazon Prime broadcasts.
Two Brutal Back-to-Backs Out West
January doesn’t offer much mercy. Boston plays at Utah on New Year’s Day, then flies straight to Portland for a back-to-back the very next night — a true road back-to-back against two different Western Conference opponents. A similar test shows up in late March: at Miami on March 27, then at New Orleans on March 28, another back-to-back against two different teams in two different cities.
A Five-Game November Road Swing
Between November 18 and November 24, Boston plays four true road games in a week — Denver, Sacramento, Golden State, and finally Washington. That last leg is the killer: Golden State on a Sunday night, then a cross-country flight to face Washington two days later. It’s the kind of stretch that tests conditioning as much as basketball IQ, and it lands just as the season starts to find its shape.
FAQ
Q: When does the Boston Celtics 2026-27 preseason start?
A: The Boston Celtics preseason schedule 2026 opens Thursday, October 8, at Cleveland, followed by three more exhibition games before the regular season begins October 20.
Q: When does the Boston Celtics 2026-27 regular season open?
A: Boston opens the regular season on the road against Detroit on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 3:00 PM ET on NBC.
Q: When is the Celtics’ Christmas Day game in 2026?
A: The Celtics Christmas Day game 2026 has Boston hosting Miami at TD Garden on Friday, December 25, at 2:30 PM ET, nationally televised on ABC.
Q: How many home games does Boston play in 2026-27?
A: Based on the released schedule, Boston Celtics home games 2026-27 total 40 dates at TD Garden in the regular season (plus two home preseason games) against 40 road games, for 80 regular-season games listed overall.
