The preseason closed with Boston as the league’s lone unbeaten club, Denver’s Nikola Jokić still finding passing lanes nobody else sees, and a final batch of rookies making their case before Tuesday’s regular-season opener. The Celtics erased a 14-point Philadelphia lead and won in overtime, while the Spurs, Warriors, Bucks, Pistons, Magic and Hawks also finished their exhibition schedules with victories.
| Preseason finale | Result | Key numbers |
|---|---|---|
| Celtics at 76ers | Boston 125, Philadelphia 120 (OT) | Hugo González 21 points; Embiid 27 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists |
| Lakers at Nuggets | Denver 121, Los Angeles 106 | Jamal Murray 21 points; Jokić 8 assists |
| Blazers at Warriors | Golden State 128, Portland 118 | Stephen Curry 20 points; Draymond Green 10 assists |
| Kings at Spurs | San Antonio 126, Sacramento 97 | Keldon Johnson 15 points; Ben Simmons 14-8-7 |
Boston’s second unit turns the game in Philadelphia
Philadelphia’s sold-out building got its first home preseason look at LeBron James in a Sixers uniform, with Jaylen Brown making his first exhibition appearance against the Celtics after joining James, Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid in the remodeled Philadelphia group.
James opened his Philadelphia preseason account with a Maxey-assisted alley-oop dunk and finished with eight points. The Sixers controlled long stretches and pushed their advantage to 14 points during the third quarter, but Boston’s reserves changed the temperature late.
González scored 21 points to ignite the comeback, and Boston completed it in overtime to end the preseason at 4-0. Philadelphia’s core still produced: Embiid logged 27 points, eight rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes; Maxey had 22 points; and Brown added 20 points and eight rebounds. Their 69 combined points offered a productive final tune-up even in the loss.
Jokić finishes preseason with another impossible-looking delivery
Jokić had already produced a behind-the-back, cross-court pass to Cam Johnson in Denver’s exhibition opener, a feed he called his personal favorite. He found another entry for the reel against the Lakers, catching the ball near midcourt and immediately slinging a behind-the-back pass ahead to Trevon Brazile for a reverse dunk in transition.
That was one of eight assists for Jokić, matching the game high. Murray did his early work, scoring 10 of his 21 points in the opening quarter as Denver built a 17-point cushion. The Lakers made repeated pushes, but never got over the top.
Austin Reaves scored 19 points for Los Angeles. Luka Dončić and Sandro Mamukelashvili each finished with 15, with both making three 3-pointers.
The top of the draft gets one more run
| 2026 draft pick | Final preseason performance | Team result |
|---|---|---|
| No. 1 AJ Dybantsa | 12 points in 15 minutes | Wizards lost 107-106 to Pelicans |
| No. 2 Darryn Peterson | 13 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists | Jazz won 119-116 over Suns |
| No. 3 Cameron Boozer | 19 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists | Grizzlies won 116-98 over Hornets |
| No. 4 Caleb Wilson | 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks | Bulls won 133-116 over Timberwolves |
Peterson took over closing duties in Utah’s road win at Phoenix, scoring six of his 13 points across the final five minutes. Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. combined for 36 points for the Jazz, while Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green paced Phoenix with 18 apiece on 6-for-13 shooting.
Boozer helped Memphis pull away after halftime, joining Ty Jerome in a 36-point pairing. Jerome had 17 points, four assists and three made 3-pointers, while six Grizzlies reached double figures in a victory that left Memphis 3-1 for the preseason. Charlotte rookies Hannes Steinbach and Christian Anderson kept the Hornets competitive early: Steinbach had 19 points on 7-for-9 shooting, and Anderson posted 15 points with six assists. Charlotte finished 1-3.
Wilson continued a strong exhibition run in Chicago, posting 16 points, seven boards, four assists, two blocks and two 3-pointers with former Bulls No. 1 pick Derrick Rose in attendance. Wilson averaged 15.8 points per game, second among rookies in the preseason. Boozer, Peterson and Dybantsa also landed among the top 10 rookie scorers.
In New Orleans, Jeremiah Fears supplied 14 points and six assists as the Pelicans held off a late Washington push. Anthony Davis produced 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Wizards, Kyshawn George scored 14, and Dybantsa exited late in the first half after rolling an ankle.
Curry, Herro and Atlanta’s shooters close the schedule
Curry wore a Veronica Burton jersey in warmups, backing the Golden State Valkyries before their first WNBA Finals game at Chase Center, then scored 20 points against Portland. Brandin Podziemski and Yaxel Lendeborg added 17 apiece, while Green nearly posted a triple-double with seven points, eight rebounds, 10 assists and three steals.
Portland had been unbeaten before the trip to Golden State. Ja Morant returned to the starting lineup and delivered 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting, including 3-for-3 from deep. Damian Lillard scored a game-high 23. Podziemski created a four-point play and celebrated with a Curry-style gesture after being fouled on his 3-pointer.
Milwaukee edged Indiana 128-127 in overtime despite Pascal Siakam’s 24-point night, including 22 in the second quarter as Indiana took a 15-point halftime lead. Tyler Herro hit five 3-pointers on his way to 25 points for the Bucks. In overtime, Kasparas Jakučionis had two points and three assists, directly scoring or setting up Milwaukee’s final three baskets to stop a 6-0 Pacers burst. Tyrese Haliburton finished with 17 points and six assists in 20 minutes, rising after Kobe Brown’s one-handed dunk.
Detroit held off Toronto 129-125 in a game featuring 18 lead changes and 13 ties. Cade Cunningham had 18 points and seven assists for the Pistons.
Orlando put seven players in double figures in a 136-115 win over Miami. Paolo Banchero had 24 points and seven rebounds, and Desmond Bane made seven 3-pointers while scoring 23. Miami rookie Ryan Conwell, selected 37th, led the Heat with 21 points and seven assists.
Atlanta beat Dallas 135-111 behind 25 points and six 3-pointers from Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The Hawks shot 41.2 percent from deep. Cooper Flagg answered with 26 points and 12 rebounds for Dallas, while Kyrie Irving and former Hawk Zaccharie Risacher scored 18 each. Irving made five 3-pointers.
San Antonio had all five starters score at least 12 points in its 126-97 rout of Sacramento, with reigning Sixth Man of the Year Keldon Johnson adding 15. Simmons was close to a triple-double for the Kings with 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
Minutes cases forming before opening night
Lendeborg has positioned himself for a larger early role with Golden State while Jimmy Butler III recovers from injury. The Michigan product has shown a reliable shooting touch through Summer League and preseason play and could fit into the Warriors’ opening lineup as a versatile forward.
Boston big man Luka Garza enters the season after averaging 20 points and 9.1 rebounds per 36 minutes across his five NBA seasons. He played a career-high 16.2 minutes per game last year, although Mitchell Robinson’s arrival could narrow that workload.
George remains an important Washington piece even with Dybantsa now on the roster. The 6-foot-8 wing started all 48 games he played last season, averaging 14.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 29 minutes.
Oklahoma City also has two rookies pressing for regular-season opportunities. Seven-foot-three center Aday Mara averaged 13.4 points and 7.6 rebounds while the Thunder rested established players for much of the preseason. His extended run gave Oklahoma City a possible depth answer at center, particularly when facing teams built around towering big men such as Victor Wembanyama.
Fellow Thunder first-rounder Bennett Stirtz made 15 of 31 3-point attempts, leading the league in total makes while averaging three per game on 48.4 percent shooting from deep. With Isaiah Joe and Lu Dort gone after leading Oklahoma City in 3-pointers made last season, Stirtz has a clear shooting vacancy to chase.
Tuesday’s opening-night slate
The 2026-27 NBA regular season begins Tuesday, Oct. 20, with a three-game NBC and Peacock schedule: Celtics at Pistons at 3 p.m. ET, 76ers at Knicks at 7 p.m. ET, and Thunder at Spurs at 9:30 p.m. ET.
Before that, the 2026 WNBA Finals open in San Francisco, where the Golden State Valkyries host the Atlanta Dream in Game 1 at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
