NBA Preseason Finale Tonight: All 12 Games, Times, How to Watch

The NBA preseason ends tonight, Friday, October 16, with 12 games on one slate. It is the last chance for coaches to set rotations before the regular season opens on Tuesday, October 20.

Tonight's games, all times Eastern

7 p.m.: Miami Heat at Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors at Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers, and Milwaukee Bucks at Indiana Pacers.

8 p.m.: Charlotte Hornets at Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks at Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves at Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings at San Antonio Spurs, and Washington Wizards at New Orleans Pelicans.

10 p.m.: Utah Jazz at Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers at Golden State Warriors.

10:30 p.m.: Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Lakers.

The game most fans will watch

Boston at Philadelphia is the headline game. The 76ers host the Celtics at Xfinity Mobile Arena at 7 p.m. Eastern, on NBC Sports Philadelphia and NBA TV, according to Sixers Wire. Philadelphia finishes the exhibition schedule looking to stay healthy, then opens the season in New York on October 20.

Sixers Wire reported that Dominick Barlow is out with a back injury, and Anfernee Simons and Adem Bona are also out, though both are back to full practice. No official injury reports are issued in the preseason.

Covers listed Philadelphia among its moneyline picks for the finale, with Tyrese Maxey and the 76ers at home and starters expected to play. Preseason results do not count, but minutes do. Tonight is the final look at new signings, two way players fighting for the last roster spots, and the rotations coaches trust when the games start to count on Tuesday.

What the finale night actually decides

The preseason finale is not really about the scores. By opening night, every team has to cut its roster to 15 players on standard contracts, plus players on two way contracts who split their time between the NBA club and its development team. The last exhibition game is the final audition for the men on the edge of that line, and coaches coach it that way: starters get a short run to stay sharp, and the fourth quarter belongs to the players fighting for the last chairs.

That is also why the injury news matters more than the result. With no official injury reports in the preseason, the broadcast and beat reports are the only word on who is ready for Tuesday. Philadelphia's caution with Simons and Bona, both back in full practice but held out of the finale, is the standard pattern: no team risks a rotation player in a game that does not count, four days before the games start to count.

How the night finished

The headline game delivered. Boston beat Philadelphia 125-120 in overtime, in a game the 76ers led by eight after three quarters. Joel Embiid scored 27 points for Philadelphia and Tyrese Maxey added 22, but Jaylen Brown scored 20 for Boston and the Celtics outscored the 76ers 31-21 in the fourth quarter and 10-5 in overtime. LeBron James, playing his first home game as a 76er, finished with eight points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

Two other early finals were just as tight. Milwaukee edged Indiana 128-127 in overtime, and Detroit held off Toronto 129-125. The later games out west were still running when those finals were confirmed. The preseason is now closed, and the next games on the schedule are the ones that count: the regular season opens on Tuesday, October 20.