Miami Heat 2026-27 Schedule: Giannis Antetokounmpo Brings the National Spotlight to South Florida

Giannis Antetokounmpo poses with Pat Riley, president of the Miami Heat, left, and coach Erik Spoelstra during a press conference introducing Antetokounmpo on July 16, 2026, at Kaseya Center in Miami. (Photo by Alie Skowronski)

The Big News: A Superstar Arrives in Miami

After four straight years of fighting just to make the playoffs through the play-in tournament (a mini-tournament for teams ranked 7th–10th to grab the last playoff spots) and three years without winning a single playoff series, the Miami Heat made a massive splash this summer. They traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and one of the best basketball players on the planet.

Important Point: The Heat gave up a lot to get Giannis—sending popular players Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, and a bunch of future draft picks (called "draft capital") to the Milwaukee Bucks. They also got veteran forward Bobby Portis in the deal.

National TV Games: From 5 to 25!

Because Giannis is such a huge star, the whole country wants to watch the Heat play. Last year, the Heat only had 5 games on national TV. This year? 25 games will be broadcast on big networks like ESPN, ABC, NBC, Prime Video, and Peacock.

Where You Can Watch Nationally

ESPN: 7 games
Prime Video: 6 games
ABC: 3 games
NBC: 5 games
Peacock: 4 games

Must-Watch Games Circle These Dates!

Date	Opponent	Why It’s Special	Network
Oct. 21	vs. Minnesota Timberwolves	Season opener at home; first time starting against a Western Conference team since 2019	ESPN
Nov. 18	vs. Milwaukee Bucks	First game for Herro, Ware, Jaquez & Jakucionis back in Miami as opponents	ESPN & WPLG
Dec. 25	at Boston Celtics	Christmas Day game (first since 2023)	ABC
Jan. 28	at Milwaukee Bucks	Giannis’s first game in Milwaukee as a visitor after 13 seasons there	Prime Video
Mar. 23	vs. LA Lakers	Late-season showdown with another superstar team	NBC & WPLG

Important Point: The Heat play the Bucks twice—once in Miami (Nov. 18) and once in Milwaukee (Jan. 28). Both are emotional reunion games!

Schedule Breakdown: What the Season Looks Like

Longest Road Trip (5 Games)

Nov. 2–10: Lakers → Clippers → Warriors → Kings → Jazz (all on the West Coast)

Longest Homestand (5 Games)

Nov. 13–22: Cavaliers → Pistons → Rockets → Bucks → Thunder

NBA Cup (In-Season Tournament)

The Heat have 4 group-stage games that also count in the regular season:

Oct. 30 vs. Pacers (Home)
Nov. 13 vs. Cavaliers (Home)
Nov. 25 at 76ers (Away)
Nov. 27 at Knicks (Away)

All-Star Break

Feb. 18–24 (All-Star Game on Feb. 22 in Phoenix)

Season Finale

Apr. 11 vs. Orlando Magic at home (last of 3 straight home games to close the year)

How to Watch Locally in South Florida

WPLG Local 10 is the new TV home for Heat games. They’ll show 66 of the 82 regular-season games.

Heads Up: 14 games are exclusive to national TV (you can’t watch them on WPLG). These include the opener, Christmas, both Bucks games, and several others. Check the full list below.

Games ONLY on National TV (Not on WPLG)

Oct. 21 vs. Timberwolves (ESPN)
Nov. 25 at 76ers (ESPN)
Nov. 27 at Knicks (Prime)
Dec. 12 vs. Knicks (ABC)
Dec. 18 vs. Clippers (Prime)
Dec. 25 at Celtics (ABC)
Dec. 29 at Mavericks (NBC)
Jan. 28 at Bucks (Prime)
Jan. 30 vs. 76ers (ABC)
Feb. 1 at Pacers (Peacock)
Feb. 15 vs. Spurs (NBC)
Feb. 28 at Rockets (NBC)
Mar. 14 at Nuggets (NBC)
Apr. 8 vs. 76ers (Prime)

Note for Fans in North Palm Beach, Naples & Fort Myers: You used to get games on FanDuel Sports Network. WPLG’s signal might not reach you yet. The Heat say local affiliates for those areas will be announced soon.

Preseason & Key Dates

Date	Event
Sept. 28	Media Day at Kaseya Center
Sept. 29	Training Camp Opens
Oct. 3	Preseason vs. Raptors (Quebec City)
Oct. 8	Preseason vs. Pelicans (Miami)
Oct. 10	Preseason vs. Timberwolves (Miami)
Oct. 14	Preseason vs. Nets (Miami)
Oct. 16	Preseason vs. Magic (Orlando)

How to Get Tickets

Regular-season home games go on sale to the public on Friday at 3 p.m.

Step-by-Step:

Go to Heat.com or Ticketmaster.com
Log in or create an account
Pick your games and seats
Complete your purchase

Preseason home games (Oct. 8, 10, 14) are already on sale!

Full 2026-27 Schedule at a Glance

(All times Eastern • = NBA Cup game • Bold = National TV)*

October

Wed. Oct. 21 vs. Minnesota, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Fri. Oct. 23 vs. Detroit, 8 p.m., WPLG
Sat. Oct. 24 at Charlotte, 6 p.m., WPLG
Mon. Oct. 26 vs. Dallas, 7:30 p.m., WPLG
Wed. Oct. 28 at Atlanta, 7 p.m., WPLG
Fri. Oct. 30* vs. Indiana, 8 p.m., WPLG

November

Mon. Nov. 2 at LA Lakers, 10 p.m., WPLG
Wed. Nov. 4 at LA Clippers, 10:30 p.m., WPLG
Thu. Nov. 5 at Golden State, 10 p.m., WPLG
Sun. Nov. 8 at Sacramento, 9 p.m., WPLG
Tue. Nov. 10 at Utah, 9 p.m., WPLG
Fri. Nov. 13* vs. Cleveland, 8 p.m., WPLG
Sat. Nov. 14 vs. Detroit, 8 p.m., WPLG
Mon. Nov. 16 vs. Houston, 7:30 p.m., WPLG
Wed. Nov. 18 vs. Milwaukee, 7 p.m., WPLG & ESPN
Sun. Nov. 22 vs. Oklahoma City, 6 p.m., WPLG
*Wed. Nov. 25 at Philadelphia, 5 p.m., ESPN**
*Fri. Nov. 27 at New York, 7 p.m., Prime**
Sun. Nov. 29 at Cleveland, 6 p.m., WPLG

December

Tue. Dec. 1 vs. Atlanta, 7:30 p.m., WPLG
Thu. Dec. 3 vs. Washington, 7:30 p.m., WPLG
(Dec. 4–10: NBA Cup — 2 more games TBD)
Sat. Dec. 12 vs. New York, 8:30 p.m., ABC
Mon. Dec. 14 at Chicago, 8 p.m., WPLG
Wed. Dec. 16 at Memphis, 8 p.m., WPLG
Fri. Dec. 18 vs. LA Clippers, 7 p.m., Prime
Sun. Dec. 20 vs. Sacramento, 6 p.m., WPLG
Mon. Dec. 21 vs. Chicago, 7:30 p.m., WPLG
Wed. Dec. 23 vs. Chicago, 7:30 p.m., WPLG
Fri. Dec. 25 at Boston, 2:30 p.m., ABC
Sun. Dec. 27 vs. Charlotte, 6 p.m., WPLG
Tue. Dec. 29 at Dallas, 8 p.m., NBC
Thu. Dec. 31 at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m., WPLG

January

Sat. Jan. 2 at New Orleans, 7 p.m., WPLG
Tue. Jan. 5 vs. Memphis, 7:30 p.m., WPLG
Thu. Jan. 7 at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m., WPLG
Fri. Jan. 8 at Philadelphia, 7 p.m., WPLG & ESPN
Sun. Jan. 10 vs. New Orleans, 6 p.m., WPLG
Tue. Jan. 12 vs. Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m., WPLG
Thu. Jan. 14 at New York, 7:30 p.m., WPLG
Fri. Jan. 15 at Toronto, 7:30 p.m., WPLG
Sun. Jan. 17 vs. Golden State, 6 p.m., WPLG
Tue. Jan. 19 vs. Portland, 7:30 p.m., WPLG
Wed. Jan. 20 at San Antonio, 9:30 p.m., WPLG & ESPN
Sat. Jan. 23 vs. Atlanta, 8 p.m., WPLG
Mon. Jan. 25 at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m., WPLG
Thu. Jan. 28 at Milwaukee, 9:30 p.m., Prime
Sat. Jan. 30 vs. Philadelphia, 12:30 p.m., ABC

February

Mon. Feb. 1 at Indiana, 7:30 p.m., Peacock
Tue. Feb. 2 vs. Charlotte, 7:30 p.m., WPLG
Thu. Feb. 4 vs. Milwaukee, 7:30 p.m., WPLG
Sat. Feb. 6 at Minnesota, 3 p.m., WPLG & Prime
Mon. Feb. 8 at Atlanta, 7 p.m., WPLG & Peacock
Wed. Feb. 10 at Washington, 7 p.m., WPLG
Fri. Feb. 12 at Orlando, 7 p.m., WPLG
Sun. Feb. 14 vs. Brooklyn, 1 p.m., WPLG
Mon. Feb. 15 vs. San Antonio, 5 p.m., NBC
Wed. Feb. 17 at Washington, 7 p.m., WPLG
(All-Star Break: Feb. 18–24)
Thu. Feb. 25 at Detroit, 7 p.m., WPLG
Sun. Feb. 28 at Houston, 9:30 p.m., NBC

March

Tue. Mar. 2 vs. Toronto, 7:30 p.m., WPLG
Wed. Mar. 3 vs. Toronto, 7:30 p.m., WPLG & ESPN
Sat. Mar. 6 vs. Indiana, 3 p.m., WPLG & Prime
Mon. Mar. 8 vs. Phoenix, 7:30 p.m., WPLG
Wed. Mar. 10 vs. Orlando, 7 p.m., WPLG & ESPN
Thu. Mar. 12 at Milwaukee, 8 p.m., WPLG
Sun. Mar. 14 at Denver, 7:30 p.m., NBC
Wed. Mar. 17 at Portland, 10 p.m., WPLG
Fri. Mar. 19 at Phoenix, 10:30 p.m., WPLG
Sun. Mar. 21 vs. Denver, 6 p.m., WPLG
Tue. Mar. 23 vs. LA Lakers, 8 p.m., WPLG & NBC
Thu. Mar. 25 vs. Utah, 7:30 p.m., WPLG
Sat. Mar. 27 vs. Boston, 8 p.m., WPLG
Mon. Mar. 29 at Cleveland, 7 p.m., WPLG & Peacock
Tue. Mar. 30 at Charlotte, 7 p.m., WPLG

April

Fri. Apr. 2 at Boston, 7:30 p.m., WPLG
Sun. Apr. 4 at Detroit, 3 p.m., WPLG
Mon. Apr. 5 at Orlando, 7 p.m., WPLG & Peacock
Thu. Apr. 8 vs. Philadelphia, 7 p.m., Prime
Fri. Apr. 9 vs. Washington, 8 p.m., WPLG
Sun. Apr. 11 vs. Orlando, 6 p.m., WPLG (Season Finale)

Summary

Giannis Antetokounmpo is now a Miami Heat player — and he’s bringing massive national attention.
National TV games jumped from 5 to 25 across ESPN, ABC, NBC, Prime Video, and Peacock.
Key games: Season opener vs. Timberwolves (Oct. 21), Christmas at Celtics (Dec. 25), two emotional games vs. Giannis’s old team (Bucks), and a stacked March schedule.
WPLG Local 10 carries 66 games locally; 14 are national exclusives.
Preseason starts Oct. 3, regular season opens Oct. 21 at home.
Tickets for regular-season home games go on sale Friday at 3 p.m. at Heat.com or Ticketmaster.com.

FAQ

1. Why did the Heat get so many more national TV games?

Because Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the NBA’s biggest superstars. Networks want to show his games to attract more viewers.

2. What is the NBA Cup?

It’s an in-season tournament where teams play group-stage games that also count as regular-season games. The Heat have four such games (marked with * in the schedule).

3. Can I watch every Heat game on WPLG Local 10?

No. 14 games are exclusive to national networks (ESPN, ABC, NBC, Prime, Peacock) and won’t air on WPLG. See the list above.

4. When do tickets go on sale?

Friday at 3 p.m. for all regular-season home games. Preseason home games are already on sale.

5. What happened to the players the Heat traded for Giannis?

Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Kasparas Jakucionis were sent to the Milwaukee Bucks. They’ll play their first game in Miami as opponents on Nov. 18.

This article is based on the Miami Heat’s official 2026-27 schedule released August 13, 2026. All times Eastern. Schedule subject to change.

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