MIAMI — The Miami Heat matter again. A year after receiving only five national-television games when the 2025-26 NBA schedule was announced, the Heat have been handed 25 such appearances for the upcoming season. The jump comes as no surprise: Giannis Antetokounmpo arrived this summer in a blockbuster trade.
The league released the 2026-27 regular-season schedule Thursday, and the Heat are suddenly front and center. They will open the season at home against Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. It will be the first time Miami starts a season against a Western Conference team since 2019-20, when they hosted the Memphis Grizzlies.
Christmas Day is back on the calendar, too. The Heat will travel to Boston to face the Celtics on Dec. 25 at 2:30 p.m. on ABC. That marks Miami’s first Christmas game since 2023 and only their third in the last decade.
The national TV slate includes seven games on ESPN, six on Prime Video‘s streaming service, three on ABC, five on NBC, and four on Peacock. Notable matchups include the Milwaukee Bucks’ first visit to Kaseya Center on Nov. 18, and Antetokounmpo’s first game in Milwaukee as an opponent on Jan. 28. The Heat traded Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis and a haul of draft capital to the Bucks for Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis. That Nov. 18 game will mark the return of those four former Heat players to Miami.
The schedule has its quirks. The Heat will play 13 sets of back-to-back games, down from 15 last season. They have two five-game road trips, the first starting Nov. 2 against the Lakers, followed by the Clippers, Warriors, Kings and Jazz. They also have two five-game homestands, including a stretch from Nov. 13-22 that features the Cavaliers, Pistons, Rockets, Bucks and Thunder.
All-Star break runs Feb. 18-24, with the 2027 NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 22 at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix. The Heat close the regular season with three straight home games, ending April 11 against the Orlando Magic.
The league gave teams 80 games, with two additional dates held open from Dec. 4-10 for NBA Cup pool play. The Heat’s four group-play games are Oct. 30 vs. Indiana, Nov. 13 vs. Cleveland, Nov. 25 at Philadelphia, and Nov. 27 at New York — the latter two being national TV showcases on ESPN and Prime Video, respectively.
Locally, WPLG Local 10 becomes the Heat’s new television home, set to air 66 games. Fans in Palm Beach County, Naples and Fort Myers will have to wait for news on affiliate coverage. Media day is Sept. 28 at Kaseya Center, with training camp starting Sept. 29. The Heat open the preseason Oct. 3 against Toronto in Quebec City.
Tickets for all regular-season home games go on sale Friday at 3 p.m. via Heat.com and Ticketmaster.com. For a team that missed the playoffs entirely last season, the spotlight is back — and so are expectations.
