Brown, Antetokounmpo get homecoming games in January

NEW YORK — Jaylen Brown and Giannis Antetokounmpo will play homecoming games a week apart in January.The 2026-27 NBA schedule was released Thursday, setting the dates for the two former NBA Finals MVPs to return to face the teams that traded them this summer.The schedules for opening night and Christmas had already been unveiled earlier this week, so those two games were among the most intriguing matchups not yet known. Brown, who was dealt from the Celtics to the rival Philadelphia 76ers in a stunning move, will play his first game back in Boston on Jan. 21.Antetokounmpo was expected to be traded by Milwaukee this offseason — at one point speculation was that he might be swapped for Brown — and was eventually dealt to Miami. The Heat will travel to face the Bucks for the first time Jan. 28.Both of those games, which will be on Thursdays, will stream on Prime Video.The season will open Oct. 20 with a tripleheader, highlighted by LeBron James, Brown and the 76ers visiting the Knicks, who will receive their rings after winning the franchise's first championship since 1973.The regular season ends April 11. All-Star weekend is set for Feb. 19-21 in Phoenix.Every team will play Monday, Nov. 2, and there will then be no games the following night, which is Election Day in the U.S. There will be 90 regular-season games televised nationally on ABC or NBC, up from 79 last season. Every team will be scheduled to appear on national TV at least twice.Throughout the season, games will stream on Peacock on Mondays, be shown on NBC and Peacock on Tuesdays, be televised by ESPN on Wednesdays, and stream on Prime Video on Fridays.Saturday night primetime games on ABC begin Dec. 12 with the Knicks visiting the Heat, while NBC's "Sunday Night Basketball" returns Jan. 24 with Oklahoma City visiting Golden State.Prime Video will begin streaming Thursday doubleheaders in January and some Saturday afternoon games starting Feb. 6 with Portland at Memphis, when Ja Morant returns to face the Grizzlies for the first time.The NBA champion Knicks have the most appearances on ABC with six, while the Lakers, 76ers, San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves all are featured on ESPN eight times.The Knicks, Spurs, 76ers, Thunder, Warriors, Nuggets, Lakers and Houston all get the maximum 11 appearances on NBC.Rick Carlisle is set to become the eighth man to coach 2,000 NBA games March 8 when the Indiana Pacers play their 65th game of the season.CAVALIERS 2026-27 SCHEDULEOct. 22 at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.Oct. 24 Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m.Oct. 26 Minnesota, 7 p.m.Oct. 28 Washington, 7 p.m.Oct. 29 at Atlanta, 7 p.m.Oct. 31 at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.Nov. 2 Oklahoma City, 7 p.m.Nov. 4 at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.Nov. 6 Philadelphia (NBA Cup Group Play), 7:30 p.m.Nov. 7 New York, 8 p.m.Nov. 9 at Charlotte, 7 p.m.Nov. 11 at New York, 7 p.m.Nov. 13 at Miami (NBA Cup Group Play), 8 p.m.Nov. 14 Dallas, 7:30 p.m.Nov. 16 Chicago, 7 p.m.Nov. 18 Memphis, 7 p.m.Nov. 20 Indiana (NBA Cup Group Play), 7:30 p.m.Nov. 23 at Chicago, 8 p.m.Nov. 25 at New York (NBA Cup Group Play), 7:30 p.m.Nov. 29 Miami, 6 p.m.Dec. 1 Indiana, 7 p.m.Dec. 3 at Chicago, 8 p.m.Dec. 12 Golden State, 8 p.m.Dec. 15 San Antonio, 8 p.m.Dec. 16 at Orlando, 7 p.m.Dec. 18 at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.Dec. 20 Utah, 6 p.m.Dec. 21 New York, 7 p.m.Dec. 23 at Washington, 7 p.m.Dec. 27 Washington, 6 p.m.Dec. 28 at Boston, 8 p.m.Dec. 31 L.A. Clippers, 3 p.m.Jan. 2 at Charlotte, 1 p.m.Jan. 3 at Houston, 7 p.m.Jan. 5 Toronto, 7 p.m.Jan. 7 at Orlando, 7 p.m.Jan. 9 Denver, 5 p.m.Jan. 11 at Minnesota, 8 p.m.Jan. 13 at Atlanta, 7 p.m.Jan. 15 at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.Jan. 16 at Memphis, 8 p.m.Jan. 18 Detroit, 12 p.m.Jan. 21 at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m.Jan. 23 at Dallas, 8 p.m.Jan. 25 at New Orleans, 8 p.m.Jan. 27 Detroit, 7 p.m.Jan. 29 at Toronto, 7 p.m.Jan. 30 New Orleans, 7:30 p.m.Feb. 1 at Utah, 9 p.m.Feb. 3 at Phoenix, 9 p.m.Feb. 4 at Portland, 10 p.m.Feb. 6 Orlando, 7:30 p.m.Feb. 9 Toronto, 7 p.m.Feb. 10 at Indiana, 7 p.m.Feb. 12 at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.Feb. 14 Phoenix, 1 p.m.Feb. 16 Milwaukee, 7 p.m.Feb. 17 Milwaukee, 7 p.m.Feb. 25 Sacramento, 7 p.m.Feb. 26 at Boston, 7:30 p.m.March 1 Philadelphia, 7 p.m.March 4 Portland, 7 p.m.March 6 Atlanta, 5:30 p.m.March 9 at Detroit, 8 p.m.March 11 at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m.March 12 at L.A. Lakers, 10 p.m.March 14 at Sacramento, 6 p.m.March 16 at Golden State, 10 p.m.March 18 at Denver, 9 p.m.March 20 Chicago, 7:30 p.m.March 22 Houston, 7 p.m.March 25 L.A. Lakers, 7 p.m.March 29 Miami, 7 p.m.March 31 at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m.April 1 Boston, 7 p.m.April 4 Charlotte, 3 p.m.April 5 Brooklyn, 7 p.m.April 7 at San Antonio, 7:30 p.m.April 9 at Indiana, 7 p.m.April 11 Atlanta, 6 p.m.