This NBA preview October 22 covers nine games on Thursday’s busy slate in Philippine time, with the first tip-offs at 7:00 AM. The NBA season opened a day earlier, when the 76ers spoiled the Knicks’ ring night and the Thunder held off the Spurs in a West Finals rematch.
Thursday has 11 games in total. Bulls at Raptors, Kawhi Leonard’s first regular-season game back in Toronto, and Warriors at Lakers each have their own full preview. Injury notes below are as of October 21, 2026 (PHT), so check final reports before tip-off.
| Tip-off (PHT) | Game | Venue | TV in the Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00 AM | Hawks at Magic | Kia Center | — |
| 7:00 AM | Bucks at Wizards | Capital One Arena | — |
| 7:30 AM | Timberwolves at Heat | Kaseya Center | — |
| 7:30 AM | Hornets at Nets | Barclays Center | — |
| 8:00 AM | Jazz at Grizzlies | FedExForum | — |
| 8:00 AM | Pacers at Pelicans | Smoothie King Center | — |
| 8:30 AM | Mavericks at Rockets | Toyota Center | NBA TV Philippines |
| 10:00 AM | Suns at Trail Blazers | Moda Center | — |
| 10:30 AM | Kings at Clippers | Intuit Dome | — |
Hawks at Magic, 7:00 AM PHT
Atlanta went 46-36 last season and built its identity on defense. The Hawks ranked ninth in defensive rating and third in both points off turnovers and fast-break points, and they added Luguentz Dort in a trade with Oklahoma City to play alongside two-time All-Defensive guard Dyson Daniels.
That perimeter pressure is the first test for Orlando’s ball-handlers. Expect a physical, lower-scoring game if the Hawks’ defense travels the way it did last season.
Bucks at Wizards, 7:00 AM PHT
This is the second straight season Washington opens against Milwaukee, but both teams look very different. The Wizards went 17-65 last season, then added Trae Young and Anthony Davis and drafted AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 overall pick.
Dybantsa is out for his debut after spraining his left ankle in the preseason finale. Milwaukee went 32-50 and enters a rebuild after the end of the Giannis Antetokounmpo era, so this is an early look at two franchises starting over in different ways.
Timberwolves at Heat, 7:30 AM PHT
Minnesota went 49-33 last season and arrives as one of the West’s more experienced teams. This is one of only two Thursday games picked for US national television, alongside Warriors at Lakers.
Miami has to replace Norman Powell, who left for Chicago after an All-Star season with the Heat. How the Heat fill that scoring gap against a deep Minnesota roster is the main storyline in Miami.
Hornets at Nets, 7:30 AM PHT
Charlotte went 44-38 last season behind a young core that includes Kon Knueppel, who pushed Cooper Flagg in one of the best Rookie of the Year races in years. The Hornets also added guard Rob Dillingham in an offseason trade with Chicago.
Brooklyn starts the season without center Nic Claxton, who was traded to the Bulls. The Nets are ranked near the bottom of most preseason power rankings, so a home win over a rising Charlotte team would be an early statement.
Jazz at Grizzlies, 8:00 AM PHT
Two rebuilding teams meet in Memphis. Utah went 22-60 last season and drafted guard Darryn Peterson with the No. 2 overall pick, while Memphis went 25-57 and is built around a young group led by Cedric Coward and rookie Cameron Boozer.
The Grizzlies went 3-1 in the preseason, but most rankings still place both teams near the bottom of the West. This game is mainly a first look at two of the league’s most promising young cores.
Pacers at Pelicans, 8:00 AM PHT
Tyrese Haliburton is set to play his first regular-season game in nearly 16 months. He tore his right Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals and missed all of last season, when Indiana fell to 19-63.
Before the injury, Haliburton averaged 18.6 points and 9.2 assists, and Indiana added center Ivica Zubac to the core around him. New Orleans went 26-56 last season and is largely running it back with Trey Murphy III, after a 3-1 preseason. The Pacers play their home opener against Dallas on October 24 (PHT).
Mavericks at Rockets, 8:30 AM PHT
The night’s only game on Philippine TV is an in-state rivalry. Houston went 52-30 and finished fifth in the West before losing in the first round, while Dallas went 26-56 but has the reigning Rookie of the Year in Cooper Flagg.
Flagg averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists as a rookie, and he averaged 18.8 points in four games against Kevin Durant last season. Both teams also welcome back key guards from major injuries, Kyrie Irving for Dallas and Fred VanVleet for Houston.
Suns at Trail Blazers, 10:00 AM PHT
Phoenix went 45-37 last season, while Portland went 42-40 and won a play-in game to earn the West’s seventh seed. That run came under interim coach Tiago Splitter, who has since left to coach the Bulls.
The Suns finished the preseason 1-4, and most previews see them as a play-in team. A win in Portland would be a useful start against a Blazers side looking to prove last season’s playoff run wasn’t a one-off.
Kings at Clippers, 10:30 AM PHT
The Clippers went 42-40 last season and start without Kawhi Leonard, who was traded to Toronto. The deal was delayed by an NBA investigation that found the Clippers and Leonard broke salary-cap rules, and the Clippers were fined $30 million and stripped of five future first-round picks.
Sacramento went 0-5 in the preseason and sits at the bottom of nearly every preseason ranking, with Darius Acuff Jr. among the new faces. It’s the latest tip-off of the night, ending the slate at Intuit Dome.
What to watch on October 22
Haliburton’s return, Dybantsa’s absence, and Flagg against Durant are the individual storylines to follow across the morning. Every result counts toward the 82-game standings, and the NBA Cup starts soon after on October 31 (PHT); our NBA season format guide explains how it fits into the season.
For full previews of Bulls at Raptors and Warriors at Lakers, and the rest of opening week, see our game previews.
