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Giannis Makes the Heat National TV Darlings Again

Jul 16, 2026; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (7) is introduced as a new member of the team by Miami Heat president Pat Riley (left) and head coach Erik Spoelstra (right) during a press conference at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Giannis Makes the Heat National TV Darlings Again

Originally posted on Miami Heat on SI | By Major Passons | Last updated Aug 13, 2026 4:05 PM ET

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The NBA has released the 2026-2027 Miami Heat schedule, and it can be daunting to look at all at once. The fact is in an 82-game season, games can get overwhelming and details can be missed.

With the addition of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Heat are getting a lot more attention from the national media. So, this season should be a lot more exciting even from a schedule perspective.

We are going to jump straight into the important facts about the schedule, so you do not have to meticulously look at every line item to figure out what is actually important.

Opening night.

First and foremost is Heat’s season will begin on Wednesday 10/21/26 at 7:30 ET against the Minnesota Timberwolves. This game will be aired on ESPN.

National Televised games.

With the addition of Antetokounmpo the league will feature the Heat more this season, as he is one the biggest stars in the game.

The Heat will have a total of 25 games on national networks. That is split up between ESPN (7 games), Prime (6), NBC (5) Peacock (4) and ABC (3).

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Back-to-Back games.

The Miami Heat will play 13 back to backs this season. Notably they will have a 2 day break in-between back-to-back sets in April. The back-to-back dates are listed below.

10/23 – 10/24 versus Detroit and at Charlette.

11/4 – 11/5 at the Clippers and at the Warriors.

11/13 – 11/14 versus Cleveland and versus Detroit.

12/20 – 12/21 versus Sacramento and versus Chicago.

1/7 - 1/8 at Brooklyn and at Philadelphia.

1/14 – 1/15 at New York and at Toronto.

1/19 – 1/20 versus Portland and at San Antonio.

2/1 – 2/2 at Indiana and versus Charlotte.

2/14 – 2/15 versus Brooklyn and versus San Antonio.

3/2 - 3/3 versus Toronto both games.

3/29 - 3/30 at Cleveland and at Charlotte.

4/4 – 4/5 at Detroit and at Orlando.

4/8 – 4/9 versus Philadelphia and versus Washington.

NBA Cup

The Heat will play their NBA cup group stage games within their first 18 games of the season. The Knockout rounds (if the Heat make it out of the group) or the added regular season games (if they do not make it out of the group) will be held in early December.

10/30 – Indiana Pacers

11/13 – Cleveland Cavaliers

11/25 – at Philadelphia 76ers

11/27 – at New York Knicks