The NBA’s 2026-27 schedule is out, and for the Pelicans, the list of must-watch dates starts right away. New Orleans is coming off back-to-back seasons under 30 wins, so every swing in this calendar feels a little heavier than usual.
Some nights are about a fresh start. Others are about old faces, old frustrations, or a chance to finally break through.
Oct. 21 is the one that opens the whole thing up: Pacers at Pelicans. That’s the first game of the Jamahl Mosley era in the Smoothie King Center, and it comes with the usual season-opener energy.
The Pelicans dropped last year’s opener on the road to the Memphis Grizzlies after winning their previous three openers. Mosley, though, brings some history of his own - he won his last three season openers in Orlando.
Indiana could make the night even more interesting if Tyrese Haliburton is back, after missing all of last season with a torn Achilles.
A week and a half later, Oct. 31 brings Hawks at Pelicans, and that one is loaded with reunion material. CJ McCollum still hasn’t played a game in the Smoothie King Center since being traded from the Pelicans to the Washington Wizards after the 2024-25 season.
Now he’s with the Hawks, along with former Pelicans Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Buddy Hield. McCollum finally gets his tribute video.
On Nov. 20, the Pelicans head to Oklahoma City for another shot at the Thunder, and this one comes with a brutal backdrop. New Orleans has lost 13 straight to OKC, including the first-round playoff sweep in 2024. The Pelicans haven’t beaten the Thunder since November 2023, and the Thunder figure to be right back among the favorites in June.
Dec. 16 gives New Orleans a heavyweight home date with the Knicks. The NBA champion Knicks, fresh off their first title since 1973, come in from the Big Apple. Jose Alvarado will be on the other side for the first time in the Smoothie King Center, and the fan favorite should get a warm reception in his first game back in New Orleans since the February trade.
The international spotlight arrives Jan. 14, when the Pelicans face the Spurs in Paris. New Orleans will be there too, just like the Saints, but the crowd at the Accor Center is expected to lean heavily toward San Antonio. The Spurs reached the NBA Finals last season and are led by French star Victor Wembanyama.
Another marquee home game comes against the 76ers, who now feature LeBron James and Jaylon Brown. That group - James, Brown, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and V.J.
Edgecombe - is described as one of the most star-studded lineups the NBA has ever seen. LeBron signed a two-year deal, so this isn’t expected to be his last trip to New Orleans, but the buzz around Philadelphia figures to be loud every time they come through.
Feb. 2 sends Mosley back to Orlando to face the Magic, the team he coached for the previous five seasons. He had plenty of success against New Orleans there, and Orlando has won nine straight against the Pelicans. That makes this a clean chance for Mosley to try to flip the script and end New Orleans’ drought against the Magic, which dates back to December 2021.
Two days after the Feb. 11 trade deadline, the Rockets visit on Feb. 12, bringing Kevin Durant to the Smoothie King Center. That game could also offer a first look at a reshaped Pelicans roster if the team makes a move at the deadline, the way it did last season with the Alvarado trade.
Then there’s Feb. 14, when the Clippers come to town for a 1 p.m. tip on Valentine’s Day and Super Bowl Sunday. The early start gives fans a shot to catch the Pelicans and still get home in time for the NFL’s big game. It becomes even more of a wrinkle if the Saints are in Inglewood playing in it.
The final date on this list lands April 11, when the Bulls close out the home schedule. The last two season finales have been meaningless because New Orleans was already out of the playoff picture.
This one could look very different if the Pelicans are still fighting for playoff position or at least a play-in spot. If they are, that’s a sign the season went right.
If not, major changes would seem to be coming.
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The NBAs full 2026-27 schedule is out, and it hands New Orleans an immediate measuring stick in Jamahl Mosleys first season on the bench. The Pelicans kept most of their roster intact, which should give Mosley a familiar core to work with right away, but the first night also sends them straight into a matchup that will say plenty about where this group stands after the long offseason.
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For a fan base that likes to know where the stress points are going to be, this is at least a useful preview of what awaits in the early part of the season. The dates are now in place, the opponents are known, and the rest of the schedule will simply fill in the details around a stretch that already looks like a real test for the Pelicans. [Read more 🡒]