NBA reveals Denver Nuggets’ opening week and Christmas games
Aug 11, 2026, 7:44 AM | Updated: 10:07 am
The NBA dropped a tease of the 2026-27 regular season schedule, and Denver Nuggets fans now have something to actually circle on their calendars — assuming they still use paper calendars, which, respect if you do.
The Nuggets will open their season Thursday, Oct. 22, at the Oklahoma City Thunder, tipping off at 7:30 p.m. MT on ESPN. So yes, right out of the gate, Denver gets a road trip to face one of the more electric young teams in the Western Conference. No warmup opponent. No cupcake. Just straight into it.
Because the NBA loves to make things interesting.
If the opener wasn’t enough to get your attention, the Nuggets also landed a Christmas Day game, heading to Golden State to face the Warriors in a late game slot on Friday, Dec. 25.
Nothing says holiday cheer quite like watching Nikola Jokic carve up a defense while you’re still in your pajamas and working through leftover pie. The late slot on Christmas is a reasonably big deal — the NBA doesn’t hand those out to just anybody, and it signals the league still views Denver as a marquee draw worth putting in prime real estate on its biggest regular-season day.
Opening on the road against OKC is a legitimate test. The Thunder have been building into one of the West’s most annoying — meant in the most competitive sense — teams to deal with, and starting 0-1 at that building is entirely possible if Denver comes in rusty.
The Christmas matchup against Golden State carries its own storylines depending on where both rosters are by December, but safe to say a Nuggets-Warriors game on national television on Christmas afternoon will not be lacking for drama or talking heads the next morning.
The full month-by-month schedule is expected to be released as details are finalized. Home game dates at Ball Arena and ticket availability should be coming soon as well — so, Denver, start planning accordingly.
The 2026-27 NBA regular season opens Oct. 22.
