ESPN is a television partner with the NBA through the 2024-25 season. As with every season over the last couple decades, we can count on catching dozens of NBA games on the hugely-popular sports news network. This season is no different save that the season is kicking off a lot later than usual – on December 22nd.
NBA on ESPN TV Schedule (2020-21)
The 2020-21 NBA season is going to come with a lot of baggage. The league schedule was just released a few days ago and only half the regular season schedule has been put out because the league wants to have some flexibility if Covid-19 impacts the teams. That’s also impacted how many games ESPN will be televising this season — the preeminent sports network has announced their NBA TV schedule.
For the 2020-21 NBA regular season, we’re looking at 40 nationally televised games – and that’s only half the schedule. Here’s ESPN’s national TV schedule for 2020-21 NBA season (all times are Eastern).
| DATE | HOME | AWAY | TIME | ESPN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEC 23 | Phoenix Suns | Dallas Mavericks | 10:30 PM ET | ESPN |
| DEC 25 | Miami Heat | New Orleans Pelicans | 12:00 PM ET | ESPN |
| DEC 25 | Denver Nuggets | Los Angeles Clippers | 10:30 PM ET | ESPN |
| JAN 6 | Miami Heat | Boston Celtics | 7:30 PM ET | ESPN |
| JAN 6 | Golden State Warriors | Los Angeles Clippers | 10:00 PM ET | ESPN |
| JAN 8 | New Orleans Pelicans | Charlotte Hornets | 7:30 PM ET | ESPN |
| JAN 8 | Golden State Warriors | Los Angeles Clippers | 10:00 PM ET | ESPN |
| JAN 13 | NY Knicks | Brooklyn Nets | 7:30 PM ET | ESPN |
| JAN 13 | Los Angeles Clippers | New Orleans Pelicans | 10:00 PM ET | ESPN |
| JAN 15 | Milwaukee Bucks | Dallas Mavericks | 7:30 PM ET | ESPN |
| JAN 15 | Los Angeles Lakers | New Orleans Pelicans | 10:00 PM ET | ESPN |
| JAN 20 | Philadelphia 76ers | Boston Celtics | 7:00 PM ET | ESPN |
| JAN 20 | Houston Rockets | Phoenix Suns | 9:30 PM ET | ESPN |
| JAN 22 | Philadelphia 76ers | Boston Celtics | 7:30 PM ET | ESPN |
| JAN 22 | Phoenix Suns | Denver Nuggets | 10:00 PM ET | ESPN |
| JAN 27 | Philadelphia 76ers | Los Angeles Lakers | 7:30 PM ET | ESPN |
| JAN 27 | Golden State Warriors | Minnesota | 10:00 PM ET | ESPN |
| JAN 29 | New Orleans Pelicans | Milwaukee Bucks | 7:30 PM ET | ESPN |
| JAN 29 | Utah Jazz | Dallas Mavericks | 10:00 PM ET | ESPN |
| FEB 3 | Milwaukee Bucks | Indiana Pacers | 7:00 PM ET | ESPN |
| FEB 3 | New Orleans Pelicans | Phoenix Suns | 9:30 PM ET | ESPN |
| FEB 5 | Brooklyn Nets | Toronto Raptors | 7:30 PM ET | ESPN |
| FEB 5 | Los Angeles Clippers | Boston Celtics | 10:00 PM ET | ESPN |
| FEB 10 | Atlanta Hawks | Dallas Mavericks | 7:30 PM ET | ESPN |
| FEB 10 | Phoenix Suns | Milwaukee Bucks | 10:00 PM ET | ESPN |
| FEB 12 | Dallas Mavericks | New Orleans Pelicans | 7:30 PM ET | ESPN |
| FEB 12 | Los Angeles Lakers | Memphis | 10:00 PM ET | ESPN |
| FEB 17 | Philadelphia 76ers | Houston Rockets | 7:30 PM ET | ESPN |
| FEB 17 | Golden State Warriors | Miami Heat | 10:00 PM ET | ESPN |
| FEB 19 | Philadelphia 76ers | Chicago Bulls | 7:00 PM ET | ESPN |
| FEB 19 | Houston Rockets | Dallas Mavericks | 9:30 PM ET | ESPN |
| FEB 21 | Los Angeles Clippers | Brooklyn Nets | 8:00 PM ET | ESPN |
| FEB 24 | Miami Heat | Toronto Raptors | 7:30 PM ET | ESPN |
| FEB 24 | Utah Jazz | Los Angeles Lakers | 10:00 PM ET | ESPN |
| FEB 26 | Boston Celtics | Indiana Pacers | 7:30 PM ET | ESPN |
| FEB 26 | Los Angeles Lakers | Portland Trailblazers | 10:00 PM ET | ESPN |
| FEB 28 | Los Angeles Lakers | Golden State Warriors | 8:00 PM ET | ESPN |
| MAR 3 | Houston Rockets | Brooklyn Nets | 7:30 PM ET | ESPN |
| MAR 3 | Portland Trailblazers | Golden State Warriors | 10:00 PM ET | ESPN |
The NBA recently announced the second half of their TV schedule for ESPN, TNT and ABC. The ESPN TV schedule for the second half of the NBA season has 45 nationally televised games on their calendar. You can see the TV schedule below:
| Day | Date | Team | Opponent | Time (ET) | ESPN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | Mar 14 | LA Clippers | New Orleans Pelicans | 9 p.m. | ESPN |
| Mon | Mar 15 | New York Knicks | Brooklyn Nets | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Mon | Mar 15 | Los Angeles Lakers | Golden State Warriors | 10:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Wed | Mar 17 | Milwaukee Bucks | Philadelphia 76ers | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| Wed | Mar 17 | LA Clippers | Dallas Mavericks | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Wed | Mar 24 | Boston Celtics | Milwaukee Bucks | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Wed | Mar 24 | Brooklyn Nets | Utah Jazz | 10 p.m. | ESPN |
| Fri | Mar 26 | Boston Celtics | Milwaukee Bucks | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Fri | Mar 26 | Atlanta Hawks | Golden State Warriors | 10 p.m. | ESPN |
| Wed | Mar 31 | Dallas Mavericks | Boston Celtics | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Wed | Mar 31 | Milwaukee Bucks | Los Angeles Lakers | 10 p.m. | ESPN |
| Wed | Apr 7 | New Orleans Pelicans | Brooklyn Nets | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Wed | Apr 7 | Utah Jazz | Phoenix Suns | 10 p.m. | ESPN |
| Mon | Apr 12 | Los Angeles Lakers* | New York Knicks | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Mon | Apr 12 | Denver Nuggets | Golden State Warriors | 10 p.m. | ESPN |
| Wed | Apr 14 | Brooklyn Nets | Philadelphia 76ers | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| Wed | Apr 14 | Dallas Mavericks | Memphis Grizzlies | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Fri | Apr 16 | LA Clippers | Philadelphia 76ers | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| Fri | Apr 16 | New York Knicks | Dallas Mavericks | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Sat | Apr 17 | Utah Jazz | Los Angeles Lakers* | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Sun | Apr 18 | New Orleans Pelicans | New York Knicks | 1 p.m. | ESPN |
| Sun | Apr 18 | Brooklyn Nets | Miami Heat | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Mon | Apr 19 | Golden State Warriors | Philadelphia 76ers | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Mon | Apr 19 | Utah Jazz | Los Angeles Lakers* | 10 p.m. | ESPN |
| Fri | Apr 23 | Boston Celtics | Brooklyn Nets | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Fri | Apr 23 | Denver Nuggets | Golden State Warriors | 10 p.m. | ESPN |
| Sat | Apr 24 | Toronto Raptors | New York Knicks | 1 p.m. | ESPN |
| Sat | Apr 24 | Philadelphia 76ers | Milwaukee Bucks | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Sat | Apr 24 | Los Angeles Lakers | Dallas Mavericks | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Sun | Apr 25 | Boston Celtics | Charlotte Hornets | 1 p.m. | ESPN |
| Sun | Apr 25 | Phoenix Suns | Brooklyn Nets | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Wed | Apr 28 | Chicago Bulls | New York Knicks | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Wed | Apr 28 | LA Clippers | Phoenix Suns | 10 p.m. | ESPN |
| Sat | May 1 | Golden State Warriors* | Houston Rockets | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Sat | May 1 | Denver Nuggets | LA Clippers | 10 p.m. | ESPN |
| Mon | May 3 | Golden State Warriors* | New Orleans Pelicans | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Mon | May 3 | Denver Nuggets | Los Angeles Lakers* | 10 p.m. | ESPN |
| Fri | May 7 | Boston Celtics* | Chicago Bulls | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Fri | May 7 | Denver Nuggets | Utah Jazz | 10 p.m. | ESPN |
| Sun | May 9 | Miami Heat | Boston Celtics | 1 p.m. | ESPN |
| Wed | May 12 | TBD | TBD | ESPN | |
| Wed | May 12 | TBD | TBD | ESPN | |
| Fri | May 14 | TBD | TBD | ESPN | |
| Fri | May 14 | TBD | TBD | ESPN | |
| Sun | May 16 | TBD | TBD | ESPN |
Check out ABC’s NBA 2020-21 TV schedule here
ESPN’s NBA TV schedule in the age of Covid-19
The NBA season is kicking off approximately two months after it usually starts, so the first regular season NBA game on ESPN won’t be in late October per usual, instead their television schedule debuts on December 23rd.
The game is between the re-tooled Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks. That game will feature the newly-acquired Chris Paul and the confident young scoring guard Devin Booker taking on one of the league’s newest faces Luka Doncic that came off an insane Sophomore season.
Two days later, ESPN will join ABC’s Christmas schedule (well, they’re apart of the same company) with the Miami Heat taking on Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans while the second game on ESPN’s slate is Nikola Jocik’s Denver Nuggets against Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers.
After those three games, ESPN have another 37 games on the docket for us NBA fans to lean.
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