The 2026-2027 NBA schedule is out, and it’s filled with must-watch Celtics games. The season tips off on Tuesday, October 20th in Detroit, and concludes at home against the Milwaukee Bucks on April 11th.
In between those games are 80 regular-season games: 40 home, 40 away.
Here are the five games that stand out most from the slate:
1. January 21: The Jaylen Brown return game
The Celtics will host the Philadelphia 76ers for the first time since the Jaylen Brown trade. Brown will undoubtedly
receive a very warm welcome from a TD Garden crowd that watched him lace up as a Celtic for the past 10 years. This game also doubles as the one game
The one downside is that this game is taking place on the second night of a back-to-back for the Celtics – it would be a massive bummer if Jayson Tatum or any other key player sat for it.
2. October 23rd: Knicks at Celtics
Just a few days after raising their championship banner, the Knicks will travel to Boston for the Celtics’ home opener. There’s a lot in this match-up: Boston opens up the regular season against the team that won the title last year, and Mitchell Robinson faces his former team for the first time.
Plus, Celtics-Knicks has felt extra juicy since the 2025 playoffs, when New York eliminated Boston in six games in the second round of the playoffs.
3. November 10th: Celtics at 76ers
Jaylen Brown will face his former team for the first time on November 10th, a few months before he makes his official return to the Garden. So, we very well could see him matching up against Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and the rest of the gang.
This game, like the January match-up, is also on the first night of a back-to-back for Boston, so fingers crossed no major players are sidelined. It will also be the first time the Celtics face LeBron James in a 76ers uniform, and seek redemption against the squad they blew a 3-1 lead against in the first round of last year’s playoffs.
4. December 25th: Celtics vs Heat on Christmas Day
After watching from the sidelines last year, the Celtics are back on the Christmas Day slate and will host the new-look Miami Heat. That will be a chance for fans to watch Giannis Antetokounmpo up close and personal, and envision what could have been, given the fact the team tried to trade for the Greek Freak this past offseason. There’s also the always-fun Celtics-Heat rivalry, which will live on as long as Pat Riley runs the show in Miami.
5. October 20th: Opening Day in Detroit
I can’t lie: a 3pm tip-off on Tuesday afternoon against the Detroit Pistons is not the most thrilling way for the Celtics to start their regular season. But it’s the regular-season opener regardless, and it’s cool to see the Celtics among the six teams suiting up. Plus, after an extra-long and extra-tumultuous offseason, it will be interesting to see how this new-look squad fares against last year’s Eastern Conference top seed.
