SI:AM | What to Know About the NBA Schedule

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I think it’s very darkly funny that MLB’s Field of Dreams game, based on a book/movie in which “Shoeless Joe” Jackson gets a chance at redemption after being banned from baseball for gambling, featured a FanDuel ad on the outfield wall.

In today’s SI:AM:
📅 NBA schedule released
⚾ Bad news for former top prospect
🏈 Most intriguing college QBs

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Mark your calendars

The NBA released the schedule for the 2026–27 season yesterday afternoon. Schedule releases usually don’t interest me (especially the way the NFL spends a week leaking the slate piece by piece before its unnecessary primetime schedule release show), but I’m more intrigued by this season’s NBA schedule than usual. Mostly that’s because LeBron James has a new team, which creates a bunch of fresh matchups to look forward to. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paul George and Ja Morant are in new places, too.

The national TV schedule is built around those marquee matchups, of course. Opening day will feature James and new teammate Jaylen Brown making their Sixers debuts against the Knicks, Paul George’s first game with the Celtics and a Western Conference finals rematch between the Spurs and Thunder. The Christmas schedule is highlighted by LeBron’s return to Los Angeles and a Finals rematch between the Spurs and Knicks in New York. Giannis’s return to Milwaukee will also be broadcast nationally (Jan. 28 on Prime Video), as will all four meetings between the Sixers and Celtics, all four Timberwolves-Nuggets games and all three Spurs-Thunder games (including the aforementioned opening day matchup).

For more details on the schedule, check out Liam McKeone, Blake Silverman and Tom Dierberger’s breakdown of the 25 best games.

Hopefully this season I’ll do a better job of memorizing which broadcaster is airing games on a given night. Last season was the first year of the NBA’s new broadcast deal, which splits the national games between ESPN/ABC, NBC/Peacock and Prime Video, and I don’t think I ever turned on the TV without having to consult my sports app and look up the channel. Some nights, the game is on regular TV. Some nights, it’s streaming. Some nights, NBCUniversal has the rights to the game but it’s not airing on TV, only streaming. Some nights, multiple broadcasters have games. They always keep you on your toes.

Two unusual pitching performances

Braxton Ashcraft celebrates with teammates — Braxton Ashcraft threw his first career complete game, and only needed 85 pitches to do so. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There aren’t many things in sports that I enjoy more than a statistical oddity. (You could probably tell that if you’re a regular reader of this newsletter.) And yesterday, there were two unusual MLB games that caught my eye, both of which went against the way baseball is usually played in 2026.

Tom Verducci wrote earlier this week about how MLB pitchers are throwing fewer complete games than ever. Well, right on cue, Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcraft not only threw a complete game, but he also did so with only 85 pitches. He also recorded 10 strikeouts and allowed one run on a solo homer leading off the ninth inning as Pittsburgh beat the Marlins, 13–1. It was just the 10th time in the past 20 years that a pitcher threw a complete game with 85 or fewer pitches (excluding rain-shortened games).

Strikeouts have also increased significantly over historical averages. While they’ve dipped slightly in recent years, teams are still averaging roughly two more strikeouts per game this season than they did 20 years ago, which makes what the Tigers did yesterday afternoon all the more fascinating. Detroit beat the Guardians, 3–0, and did so without striking out any Cleveland batters. It’s the first time since 2014 that a team pitched a shutout without recording a K, and just the fifth time in the past 20 years. (Three of those five instances were achieved by the Tigers, oddly.)

It may be the dog days of August, but there’s still fun things happening in baseball.

The best of Sports Illustrated

Terrion Arnold on the field — Terrion Arnold has agreed to terms with the Seahawks, but he faces serious legal issues that the NFL must grapple with. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

SI Staff: The Top 25 Must-Watch Games of the 2026–27 NBA Season, and Why They Matter
Pat Forde: The 25 Most Intriguing College Football Quarterbacks for 2026
Ryan Phillips: Hunter Greene Was Baseball’s Next Big Thing. Now His Career Is in Jeopardy.
Mike Kadlick: Seahawks’ Signing of Terrion Arnold Leaves the NFL With a Decision to Make
Jenna Tonelli: Trinity Rodman Named Sports Illustrated’s NWSL MVP of the Month
Tom Gott: Full Cost of Potential Rodri Deal Explains Barcelona’s Hesitance

The top five…

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. makes a catch in the stands — Kevin Sousa/Imagn Images

… things I saw yesterday:
5. Max Muncy’s 131st career home run at Dodger Stadium. Believe it or not, that makes him the all-time leader in homers at the stadium, surpassing the record previously held by Eric Karros.
4. Jackie Young’s smooth transition three to reach the 30-point mark for the first time this season. (She finished with 32 in an 83–76 Aces win over the Mystics.)
3. Puso Dithejane’s stoppage-time goal to give the Chicago Fire the win over Mexican club Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup.
2. A nice defensive play in foul territory by Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
1. Yankees prospect Luis Durango’s swing while already running toward first base. It looked like something out of the Dead Ball era.

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