The Washington Wizards released their 2026-27 NBA Cup schedule, and the headliner is a Nov. 24 game against the Boston Celtics at Capital One Arena on NBC. It is one of four group-stage matchups Washington will play across October and November in Group C.
That matters because people looking up the Wizards schedule want the dates that actually change plans, and this one does. The Celtics game starts at 8 p.m., giving Washington its clearest national television window in the group stage and a game that will be watched well beyond its own building.
Group C also gives the Wizards a familiar path through the tournament. They are paired with the Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Hornets, which means every result in this stage comes against an Eastern opponent and every game counts in the same short group format.
There is a reason the calendar release draws attention beyond the dates alone. Washington enters this NBA Cup cycle with a 1-11 record over the last three seasons, the kind of mark that makes every new matchup feel heavier than a normal early-season game. The Wizards’ lone NBA Cup win came last season against the Atlanta Hawks, and that same opponent is back on the schedule again.
Trae Young gives the schedule an added layer. His first game in Atlanta since his January trade to the Wizards appears set for Nov. 6, which makes that trip one of the first real markers of how this team will be viewed in its new shape. For Washington, the release does not just set dates. It sets the order in which the season will start to answer questions.
What remains unclear is the full picture beyond these four group-stage games, but the part that is fixed now is enough to matter. The Wizards know when they face the Celtics, when Young returns to Atlanta and which opponents stand between them and a better run in Group C.
