The NBA will pause games on Tuesday to make way for the midterm elections. Since 2022, the league has observed Election Day as part of its custom. Before the 2026-27 season, the league addressed its schedule for Nov. 3 and encouraged fans to vote.
“No games have been scheduled for Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 3) as the league will encourage fans and the broader NBA community to make a plan to vote and to participate in the civic process. All 30 teams will be in action on the day before Election Day (Monday, Nov. 2),” the league wrote in a press release in August.
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Election Day won’t be the only holiday with no basketball action. On Thanksgiving, the league doesn’t have a scheduled game to avoid the NFL’s holiday football slate. However, the league has scheduled several games before the holiday. On November 25, nine games are planned, including the Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers, the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks, and the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder.
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Even on Christmas Eve, the league has no scheduled games. However, it has five games scheduled on Christmas Day. Games will return to normal on Wednesday, Nov. 4, featuring 28 teams. Below is the slate of games following Election Day.
- 76ers at Pistons, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
- Hawks at Wizards, 7 p.m. ET
- Bucks at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Hornets at Nets, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Bulls at Knicks, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Pacers at Grizzlies, 8 p.m. ET
- Jazz at Pelicans, 8 p.m. ET
- Cavaliers at Thunder, 8 p.m. ET
- Timberwolves at Rockets, 8:30 p.m. ET
- Raptors at Nuggets, 9 p.m. ET
- Trail Blazers at Suns, 9 p.m. ET
- Mavericks at Spurs, 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
- Lakers at Kings, 10 p.m. ET
- Heat at Clippers, 10:30 p.m. ET
The NBA Beat the MLB’s Championship Ratings This Year
Last season, the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks were featured in the NBA Finals. One of the most famous international stars, Victor Wembanyama, led the Spurs to battle against one of the biggest markets in the league.
Having two big entities on the big stage helped the ratings. Both the NBA and MLB lasted five games, but the basketball league had a better average viewership. Game 5 of the Finals averaged 24.5 million viewers, while Game 5 of the World Series averaged 12.2 million viewers.
It was a massive change from the 2025 Finals. The league averaged 16.61 million viewers for Game 7 between the OKC Thunder and the Indiana Pacers. The World Series averaged 25.98 million viewers for Game 7.
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Edited by Reign Amurao
