Four Days to Tip-Off: Preseason Finale Friday, Knicks Survive Toronto, Rockets Rout OKC, and the Real Games Arrive Tuesday

By Jordan Pierce, RF Sports Radio NBA voice

NBA fans, the exhibitions are almost done counting. Four days from Tuesday's national window, the league is closing the preseason book and opening the one that matters.

The facts

The 2026-27 regular season opens Tuesday, Oct. 20, on NBC and Peacock with a tripleheader: Celtics at Pistons at 3 p.m. Eastern / 2 p.m. Central, 76ers at Knicks at 7 p.m. Eastern / 6 p.m. Central on New York's banner night, and Thunder at Spurs at 9:30 p.m. Eastern / 8:30 p.m. Central, per NBA.com. Friday, Oct. 16, is the final preseason day on the calendar, including Dallas hosting Atlanta.

Thursday night's results, per RealGM and scoreboard aggregators: New York Knicks 122, Toronto Raptors 120, and Houston Rockets 116, Oklahoma City Thunder 89. Wednesday's louder slate — already covered in this week's notebook — featured Jalen Duren's 24 points in 15 minutes for Detroit, San Antonio's 123-103 win over Phoenix behind Victor Wembanyama's 19, and Giannis Antetokounmpo's near triple-double in Miami, per NBA.com's Starting 5. Stephen Curry remains 102 three-pointers from 5,000 for his career.

RF Sports Radio's take (opinion)

My take: the Knicks surviving Toronto by two in a preseason game tells you nothing about April and everything about October habits. Close games are where rotations get honest. Houston blowing out Oklahoma City is louder. Even in preseason, a 27-point home statement against the West's measuring stick is the kind of tape young Rockets will rewind. Dallas fans should also note Friday's local finale — the Mavericks' dress rehearsal is the last exhibition before the opener in Houston.

Opening night still owns the calendar. Detroit-Boston in the afternoon window is the league saying the Pistons are real. Banner night in New York will be emotion first, basketball second. The best game on the board remains Thunder at Spurs late — the West Finals hangover meeting that will set the temperature for six months. Duren's efficiency burst and Wemby's comfort level are the two preseason tapes I am actually filing under useful. Everything else from the exhibition slate is noise until the real minutes start Tuesday.

My call: Spurs steal opening night from OKC at home, Knicks win banner night, and Curry's 5,000th three lands before Christmas. That is a prediction, not a report. If OKC looks sharp in San Antonio, the West hierarchy conversation starts early again.

What to watch next

Watch Friday's final preseason games for availability notes, then Tuesday's NBC/Peacock tripleheader. For yesterday's five-days-to-tip column, read yesterday's NBA post on five days to tip-off and Duren's debut, and follow the NBA page.

Radio question: which Oct. 20 opener are you locking in first — afternoon Pistons-Celtics, banner night in New York, or Thunder-Spurs out West?

Sources: NBA.com — Starting 5, Oct. 15, 2026; RealGM — NBA scores Oct. 15, 2026; NBA.com — 2026-27 schedule announced.