With the release of the full NBA schedule on Thursday, the Clippers now know who and when they will play in the upcoming season. The only question is who will be playing for the Clippers?
The team is caught in the ongoing NBA investigation into Kawhi Leonard’s involvement with a green banking company, leaving their roster in limbo. On June 30, the Clippers agreed to trade Leonard to the Toronto Raptors for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and a slew of draft picks, but the deal was paused nine days later pending the conclusion of the investigation.
Presently, neither team knows who will be on the court when the season begins in October. Regardless, the Clippers will be ready for their season opener on Oct. 21 against the Sacramento Kings at the Intuit Dome.
The season opener features two high-profile rookies in the Clippers’ Keaton Wagler and Kings’ Darius Acuff Jr., the Nos. 5 and 7 picks in this year’s NBA draft, with both teams expected to rely on their promising young players to jumpstart their seasons.
The Clippers are looking to get off to a better start this season after last season’s abysmal 6-21 beginning that they eventually turned around to finish 42-40. The Kings went 22-60 last season.
This will be the first time the Clippers open the season at home since 2024-25.
Two nights later, the Clippers head across town, where forward Rui Hachimura will face his former team, the Lakers, on Oct. 23, at Crypto.com Arena, where he played for three-plus seasons. The teams meet again on Oct. 28 at Intuit Dome, then once more on Jan. 11 in Inglewood and Feb. 10 at Crypto.com Arena.
If the NBA’s investigation concludes relatively soon and the trade goes through, Leonard will make his return to Intuit Dome on Nov. 2. The teams play for the second time on New Year’s Day in Toronto, where Ingram would be making his return to the place where he spent last season.
The Clippers will face All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo with his new team, the Miami Heat, on Nov. 4 in the second game of a three-game homestand.
After a four-game road swing that includes an NBA Cup group-play game against Memphis on Nov. 25, the team returns home for its group-play finale against New Orleans on Nov. 27. The Clippers’ other NBA Cup games are Oct. 30 at Minnesota and Nov. 13 at home against Oklahoma City.
On Dec. 13, the Clippers will visit reigning Western Conference champion San Antonio.
The first time the Clippers will see LeBron James is Dec. 27 when the Philadelphia 76ers visit the Intuit Dome.
Their longest trip of the season is a six-game Eastern swing that takes them to Indiana (Dec. 29), Cleveland (Dec. 31), Toronto (Jan. 1), Washington (Jan. 3) and Orlando (Jan. 5) before ending in Milwaukee (Jan. 7).
The Clippers face one of their toughest road challenges when they play the reigning NBA champion New York Knicks (Jan. 24) and the 76ers (Jan. 25) on back-to-back days followed by a game against the Eastern Conference powerhouse Boston Celtics during a four-game trip.
The Clippers’ schedule features 13 sets of back-to-back games, down from the 15 they had last season and the 17 two years ago. Five of those are home back-to-backs, four more conclude at the Intuit Dome and there are four sets of road back-to-backs.
CLIPPERS 2026-27 SCHEDULE
All times Pacific
OCTOBER
Oct. 21 – vs. Sacramento, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 23 – at Lakers, 7 p.m.
Oct. 25 – at Oklahoma City, 4 p.m.
Oct. 28 – vs. Lakers, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 30 – at Minnesota*, 5 p.m.
NOVEMBER
Nov. 1 – at Golden State, 5:30 p.m.
Nov. 2 – vs. Toronto, 7 p.m.
Nov. 4 – vs. Miami, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 8 – vs. New Orleans, 6 p.m.
Nov. 10 – at Phoenix, 6 p.m.
Nov. 13 – vs. Oklahoma City*, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 15 – vs. Charlotte, 1:30 p.m.
Nov. 17 – vs. Utah, 8 p.m.
Nov. 19 – at San Antonio, 5 p.m.
Nov. 21 – at Dallas, 5 p.m.
Nov. 23 – at Houston, 5:30 p.m.
Nov. 25 – at Memphis*, 5 p.m.
Nov. 27 – vs. New Orleans*, 6:30 p.m.
Nov. 29 – at Golden State 5:30 p.m.
DECEMBER
Dec. 1 – at Phoenix, 6 p.m.
Dec. 2 – vs. Minnesota, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 4, 5, 8, 9 – Potential NBA Cup knockout rounds
Dec. 6, 7 and Dec. 9, 10 – Regular-season games TBA (pending NBA Cup results)
Dec. 13 – at San Antonio, 4 p.m.
Dec. 16 – at Charlotte, 4 p.m.
Dec. 18 – at Miami, 4 p.m.
Dec. 20 – vs. Indiana, 7 p.m.
Dec. 21 – vs. Denver, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 23 – vs. Golden State, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 26 – vs. Memphis, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 27 – vs. Philadelphia, 6 p.m.
Dec. 29 – at Indiana, 4 p.m.
Dec. 31 – at Cleveland, 12 p.m.
JANUARY
Jan. 1 – at Toronto, 4:30 p.m.
Jan. 3 – at Washington, 4 p.m.
Jan. 5 – at Orlando, 4 p.m.
Jan. 7 – at Milwaukee, 5 p.m.
Jan. 9 – vs. Boston, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 11 – vs. Lakers, 7 p.m.
Jan. 14 – at Sacramento, 7 p.m.
Jan. 15 – vs. Orlando, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 18 – vs. Phoenix, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 20 – at Utah, 6 p.m.
Jan. 22 – vs. Washington, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 24 – at New York, 4 p.m.
Jan. 25 – at Philadelphia, 4 p.m.
Jan. 27 – at Boston, 4:30 p.m.
Jan. 29 – at Brooklyn, 4:30 p.m.
FEBRUARY
Feb. 2 – vs. San Antonio, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 3 – vs. Golden State, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 5 – at Denver, 6 p.m.
Feb. 7 – at Dallas, 1:30 p.m.
Feb. 9 – vs. Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 10 – at Lakers, 7 p.m.
Feb. 12 – at Memphis, 5 p.m.
Feb. 14 – at New Orleans, 11 a.m.
Feb. 16 – vs. Houston, 8 p.m.
Feb. 17 – vs. Chicago, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 21 – NBA All-Star Game at Phoenix
Feb. 25 – vs. Utah, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 28 – vs. Portland, 7:30 p.m.
MARCH
March 2 – at Portland, 8 p.m.
March 4 – vs. Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m.
March 6 – at Sacramento, 7 p.m.
March 8 – vs. Houston, 7:30 p.m.
March 10 – vs. New York, 7:30 p.m.
March 11 – vs. Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.
March 13 – at Portland, 7:30 p.m.
March 16 – vs. Denver, 8 p.m.
March 18 – vs. Memphis, 7:30 p.m.
March 20 – vs. Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.
March 22 – vs. Dallas, 7:30 p.m.
March 24 – vs. Milwaukee, 7:30 p.m.
March 26 – at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m.
March 27 – at Chicago, 5 p.m.
March 29 – at Detroit, 4 p.m.
March 31 – at Atlanta, 4 p.m.
APRIL
April 2 – vs. San Antonio, 7:30 p.m.
April 4 – vs. Phoenix, 1:30 p.m.
April 6 – vs. Minnesota, 7:30 p.m.
April 8 – at Denver, 6 p.m.
April 9 – at Utah, 6:30 p.m.
April 11 – vs. Sacramento, 5:30 p.m.
* = NBA Cup Group Play game