The long offseason is over, and hoops are back with NBA Opening Night featuring three games on Tuesday, October 20. NBC has a tripleheader, beginning with the Celtics vs. Pistons (3:00 p.m. ET), followed by the 76ers vs. Knicks (7:00 p.m. ET), and capped by the Thunder vs. Spurs (9:30 p.m. ET).
F Paul George makes his Celtics debut, F LeBron James and F Jaylen Brown rock a 76ers uniform for the first time, and more — all on Opening Night. But among the six teams in action, who could thrive in their first games of the 2026-27 season?
Let’s jump into our top NBA Opening Night predictions, highlighting two games with point spreads, over/unders, and player picks on PrizePicks.
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NBA Opening Night Predictions, Picks for PrizePicks – Tuesday, October 20
Check out each matchup on Tuesday’s schedule, featuring how to watch each NBA game and point spreads via PrizePicks.
We’ll focus on the 76ers vs. Knicks and Thunder vs. Spurs for tonight’s best NBA Opening Night predictions, followed by one player pick for stat projections on PrizePicks.
Philadelphia features a new-look lineup and is tied with the defending champions, New York, as the favorites to win the Eastern Conference (4.16x) on PrizePicks. Meanwhile, the Thunder (3.84x) and Spurs (4x) are the favorites to win the 2027 NBA Finals.
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76ers vs. Knicks Prediction on Winner for NBA Opening Night – 10/20/26
The 76ers could take the spotlight on Tuesday night, as they traded for F Jaylen Brown in the offseason, and F LeBron James elected to sign with Philadelphia in free agency. They join a strong lineup of G Tyrese Maxey, G VJ Edgecombe, and C Joel Embiid.
While the starting lineup is loaded, the Sixers may have sacrificed depth, and G Anfernee Simons (hamstring), F Dean Wade (ankle), and C Adem Bona (foot) are all questionable tonight.
Meanwhile, the defending champs bring back most of the nucleus from last season, with C Andre Drummond replacing C Mitchell Robinson on the bench. We have an established team coming off a championship against a new-look lineup that could be down most of its depth.
Just like we saw in the NBA Finals, expect a special environment in New York, with Knicks tickets going for over $1,000 on opening night (you read that right).
According to NBA.com, the 76ers finished 17th in defensive rating last year, and this season features the same starting backcourt of Maxey and Edgecombe. Philly also allowed a 42.6% 3-point shot distribution (11th-highest), per databallr.
That perimeter defense particularly draws alarm, as the Knicks took 43.0% of their shots from deep last season (12th-highest). Plus, New York shot a lethal 37.6% from beyond the arc (fourth).
If the treys are falling, paired with a roster that’s already gelled, Knicks fans could be in store for a fun night to tip off the 2026-27 season.
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Knicks G Jalen Brunson vs. 76ers: 26.5 Points
- The King of New York looks to follow up on a terrific 2025-26 campaign, including 28.9 PPG over 19 playoff games.
- During the regular season, he logged 26.0 PPG in 74 regular-season games. Over eight head-to-head meetings with the 76ers, including the playoffs, Brunson recorded 26.0 PPG.
- His 23.0 PPG regular-season average vs. the 76ers was slightly underwhelming last season, but the star guard still enjoyed a healthy workload with 34.5 minutes and 18.3 shots per game in the split.
- Brunson led the Knicks’ 3-point attack with 7.1 attempts per game last season, and the 76ers allowed 38.2 3-point looks per game (ninth-most). As mentioned, those perimeter defensive numbers hold weight, with Maxey and Edgecombe returning as the starting backcourt.
Pick Jalen Brunson + Knicks to win on PrizePicks.
Thunder vs. Spurs Prediction on Spread for NBA Opening Night – 10/20/26
While the Knicks should provide a special atmosphere to open the NBA season, no matchup compares to the Thunder vs. Spurs. This is a Western Conference Finals rematch, which saw San Antonio win 4-3.
Neither team features much roster change. The Spurs added C Tarris Reed Jr. and C Jayden Quaintance (out with a knee injury) in the 2026 NBA Draft to shore up the frontcourt. Plus, F Tobias Harris is now the starting power forward.
If Quaintance, the #20 overall pick, returns healthy this season, San Antonio will likely feature more size at power forward alongside superstar C Victor Wembanyama.
The Thunder, meanwhile, saw G Luguentz Dort depart and join the Hawks in the offseason. Oklahoma City re-signed C Isaiah Hartenstein, and G Cason Wallace is officially taking on Dort’s role for the long term, as he inked a five-year, $139 extension on Sunday.
Elsewhere, OKC drafted C Aday Mara and G Bennett Stirtz with the #12 and #16 picks. Stirtz provides another ball handler who can shoot, and Mara was an elite defender and rebounder with good touch at Michigan.
As Mara’s minutes increase, the 7-foot-3 center who posted college basketball’s fifth-best Defensive Bayesian Performance Rating (DBPR) in 2025-26, via EvanMiya, could become the Thunder’s answer for defending Wemby.
Until Mara receives a more prominent role, Oklahoma City still has a Wembanyama problem. He logged 27.3 PPG, 10.9 RPG, and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 48.1% from the floor and 40.0% on triples in the WCF last season.
San Antonio won the points in the paint battle in six of seven matchups during the WCF. That was out of character for a Thunder team allowing only 41.6 paint points per game (second-fewest) in the regular season.
Furthermore, the Spurs allowed only 21.3 free throw attempts per game (fourth-fewest) and conceded the lowest free throw rate (22.7%) a season ago. OKC has built a reputation as a team that gets to the charity stripe, posting 19.0 made free throws per contest (13th) in 2025-26.
San Antonio has simply had this club’s numbers, holding a 7-4 head-to-head record vs. OKC last season.
Lock in your Thunder vs. Spurs prediction before tip-off on PrizePicks!
Spurs G Dylan Harper vs. Thunder: 15.5 Points
- Dylan Harper was a major storyline during the Spurs’ playoff run, totaling 14.1 PPG while shooting 51.5% compared to 11.8 PPG in the regular season.
- In the NBA Finals, Harper tallied 14.2 field goal attempts per game, surpassing 9.5 from the regular season.
- The former #2 overall pick consistently displayed his slashing ability, and that meant handling the ball with a high 30.6% on-ball rate (97th percentile) last season.
- Harper turned his on-ball rate to consistently creating his own shot, with 6.9 true created shot attempts per contest (85th percentile). That’s why fans chirped of San Antonio turning to Stephon Castle and Harper for the starting backcourt amid PG De’Aaron Fox’s playoff struggles.
- In the preseason, Harper posted 14.8 PPG while shooting 56.4% from the field.
- Considering his postseason performance, the second-year guard should get more minutes and shot attempts compared to the 2025-26 regular season, likely increasing his 11.8 PPG from his rookie campaign.
Pick Dylan Harper + Spurs to win on PrizePicks.
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Make NBA Opening Night Predictions on PrizePicks
After advancing to the 2026 NBA Finals, will the Knicks and Spurs build off last season’s success by grabbing wins on Opening Night? Jalen Brunson and Dylan Harper seek to continue productive postseason outings.
Don’t wait until tip-off — make your NBA Opening Night picks on PrizePicks now and earn real money if you’re right.
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Plus, you can make your NBA predictions for the 2026-27 season, including the NBA Finals winner, win totals, the MVP winner, and more all on PrizePicks.
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