The wait is finally over. After nearly having to delay the schedule release to see where LeBron James would go, the NBA has fully published all 82 games for the Denver Nuggets' regular season. And the schedule makers made it just about as tough a start and finish as you can get. But at least the Nuggets have it a little easier than they did last year, travel-wise. And there are some interesting quirks as well.
We already knew from the first batch of the schedule release that the Nuggets were going to get the Oklahoma City Thunder to open the season on Thursday, Oct. 22nd at 8:30 P.M. MT on ESPN. Now we know the Nuggets will also finish the season against the Thunder. Game 82 will be played Sun. April 11th at 6:30 P.M. MT and will be only locally televised. You can find your local TV providers in this handy guide.
However, the Nuggets will be on national TV a bunch this season. They have 28 nationally televised games, tied for the 6th most in the league.
The Nuggets have it a little easier this year
Last season, the Nuggets tied the Miami Heat with 17 games played on no rest. This year, they're set for 14, which is the middle of the pack for the NBA. They were 11-6 in those back-to-back sets. However, last year, the Nuggets had six back-to-back sets in which they played at 9 P.M. ET or later, and then the next game was at least two hours earlier.
The schedule makers did the Nuggets right this year, and no such sets exist. The worst the Nuggets get is a one-hour loss three times. That's a huge improvement from last season.
The schedule makers made some quirks
Probably for travel-related reasons and to make life easier for the almost flyover state team, there are a couple of quirks in the schedule.
First, the Nuggets will head to Mexico City on Nov. 7th to take on the Indiana Pacers. The Nuggets should feel much closer to home than the Pacers, as CDMX is about like going up to Laramie, Wyoming, elevation-wise.
But then, just before Christmas, the Nuggets take on the Lakers at home on Dec. 19th, then head to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers. They'll get a day off, and then they take on the Lakers again, and then swing up to the Bay Area to take on the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day in the nightcap at 7:30 P.M. MT. An easy California travel trip.
The Nuggets will also do a home-and-home against the Minnesota Timberwolves to close out 2026, playing the Wolves in Denver on Dec. 28th, and then again in Minnesota on New Year's Eve at 3 P.M. MT.
The final quirk is the closing stretch. The Nuggets play seven of eight on the road and eight of 10 to finish out March into April, before closing the season out with four of five at home, including that season-ender against the Thunder.
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