The NBA will have nationally televised games every day of the week

Yahoo Sports AM is our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it every weekday morning.

🏀 NBA SCHEDULE RELEASE

The NBA released its full schedule for the upcoming season on Thursday, and it’s no surprise which teams you’ll be seeing most often when you turn on your TV.

Advertisement

• The defending champion Thunder have 34 games on national TV (or streaming), tied with the Lakers, Warriors and Knicks for the most in the league.

• The Timberwolves and Rockets aren’t too far behind, at 28 each, followed by the Nuggets (26), Celtics (25), Cavaliers (24) and Mavericks (23) to round out the top 10.

No love for Indy: The Pacers, a year after reaching the NBA Finals, have just nine national games. Rude. (I know, I know… Tyrese Haliburton is out for the year. Still.)

How to watch: The biggest change this season is that the league’s massive new 11-year, $76 billion media deal kicks in, which could take some getting used to for fans conditioned to watching mostly on ESPN and TNT. Here’s where you’ll watch:

• NBC/Peacock: Sunday, Monday and Tuesday … The NBA returns to NBC for the first time in 24 years. Most importantly, that means “Roundball Rock” is returning!

• ESPN/ABC: Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday … No change here. ESPN still gets Wednesday and Friday nights, while ABC gets Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons.

• Prime: Thursday, Friday and Saturday … Doubleheaders on Friday all season and on Thursday starting in January, plus select Saturday afternoon games.

Big picture: Yes, that’s a lot of different places to watch one league. But the biggest takeaway is this: Almost all season long, there’ll be at least one nationally-televised (or streamed) game every. single. day.

Advertisement

Let the countdown begin: The season opens with an NBC doubleheader on Oct. 21, when the Thunder host the Rockets in Kevin Durant’s Houston debut and the Lakers host the Warriors in the latest chapter of LeBron vs. Steph. Just 67 days away. Can’t wait.

Go deeper: Schedule release highlights (Dan Devine, Yahoo Sports)

📺 WEEKEND WATCHLIST

⚽️ Premier League | Fri-Sun, USA/NBC/Peacock

‌The Premier League campaign kicks off today with defending champion Liverpool — favored to run it back for their third title since 2020 (+175 at BetMGM) — opening the season at home against Bournemouth. But lurking, as always, are last year’s runner-up Arsenal (+250), perennial contender Manchester City (+350) and reigning Club World Cup champion Chelsea (+800).‌

Advertisement

Matchday 1:

• Liverpool vs. Bournemouth (Fri. 3pm ET, USA)

• Aston Villa vs. Newcastle (Sat. 7:30am, USA)

• Brighton vs. Fulham (Sat. 10am, USA)

• Sunderland vs. West Ham (Sat. 10am, Peacock)

• Tottenham vs. Burnley (Sat. 10am, Peacock)

• Wolves vs. Manchester City (Sat. 12:30pm, NBC)

• Chelsea vs. Crystal Palace (Sun. 9am, USA)

• Nottingham Forest vs. Brentford (Sun. 9am, Peacock)

• Manchester United vs. Arsenal (Sun. 11:30am, NBC)

Go deeper: Team-by-team mega-preview (ESPN)

⚾️ Little League Classic | Sun. 7:10pm ET, ESPN

The Mets and Mariners face off on Sunday in the eighth annual Little League Classic at Williamsport’s Historic Bowman Field. In what’s become a truly wonderful new tradition, the big leaguers will spend the day attending Little League World Series games and embracing their inner kid before playing in front of a crowd of mostly little leaguers and their families that night.

Plus… The biggest series of the weekend is in Los Angeles, where the Dodgers and Padres meet for three games as they jockey for position atop the NL West. San Diego — which has won five straight and 14 of 17 — now has a one-game lead over L.A., marking the latest in a season they’ve held sole possession of first place since 2010.

⛳️ BMW Championship | Fri-Sun, ESPN+/Peacock/Golf/NBC

Robert MacIntyre, have a day. The Scottish lefty went nuclear on the back nine on Thursday, birdieing his final six holes and making nearly 200 feet worth of putts for a career-best round of 62. At 8-under par, he holds a three-stroke lead over Tommy Fleetwood entering the second round.

Advertisement

⛳️ U.S. Amateur | Fri-Sun, Golf/Peacock

Just eight golfers remain at San Francisco’s Olympic Club, and none is more surprising than Jimmy Abdo, a sophomore from D-III Gustavus Adolphus College who sits at No. 4,292 in the world amateur rankings. The quarterfinals tee off today at 4:30pm, the semis are tomorrow and the 36-hole championship match is on Sunday.

🎾 Cincinnati Open | Fri-Sun, Tennis

It’s a rare Monday finish in Cincy, so they’re still in the quarterfinals entering play today.

Men: No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz vs. No. 9 Andrey Rublev (3pm) and No. 3 Alexander Zverev vs. No. 5 Ben Shelton (7pm). The winners will join No. 1 Jannik Sinner and Terence Atmane in the semifinals.

Advertisement

Women: No. 3 Iga Świątek vs. No. 28 Anna Kalinskaya (11am); No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka vs. No. 9 Elena Rybakina (12:10pm); Varvara Gracheva vs. Veronika Kudermetova (4:30pm); No. 2 Coco Gauff vs. No. 7 Jasmine Paolini (8:30pm).

🏀 Storm vs. Dream | Fri. 10pm, ION

It’s taken 29 seasons, but the WNBA is finally playing its first regular-season game in Canada when the surging Dream (21-11, six straight wins) and struggling Storm (16-17, six straight losses) meet at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena. And it’s not a moment too soon as the league’s first Canadian team, the Toronto Tempo, begin play next season.

Other games to watch: The Lynx host the Liberty (Sat. 2pm, CBS) for their third Finals rematch in the past two weeks; A’ja Wilson and the Aces host Paige Bueckers and the Wings in Vegas (Sun. 3:30pm, ABC).

Advertisement

More to watch:

• NFL Preseason: Chiefs at Seahawks (Fri. 10pm, NFL); Browns at Eagles (Sat. 1pm, NFL); Bills at Bears (Sun. 8pm, Fox) … Full Week 2 slate.

• Banana Ball: Savannah Bananas vs. The Firefighters (Fri. 8pm, ESPN2; Sat. 8pm, truTV) … At Rate Field, home of the White Sox.

• NWSL: KC Current vs. Orlando Pride (Sat. 4pm, CBS) … First-place KC puts its undefeated home record on the line against second-place Orlando.

• MLS: NY Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union (Sat. 7:30pm, Apple) … First-place Philly takes on New York just three days after beating the Red Bulls to reach the U.S. Open cup semis.

• UFC 319: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev (Sat. 10pm, ESPN+ PPV) … Middleweight title fight at Chicago’s United Center.

• LIV: Indianapolis (Fri-Sun, FS1/Fox) … The penultimate event of the season.

• NASCAR: Richmond Raceway (Sat. 7:30pm, USA) … Here’s where things stand heading into the penultimate race before the playoffs.

Full weekend slate →

🏀 WNBA AWARDS WATCH

With one month until the playoffs begin, here are our picks for the WNBA’s three major end-of-season awards, courtesy of Yahoo Sports’ Maggie Hendricks.

MVP

Napheesa Collier, Lynx: Yes, she’s missing some time right now with a sprained ankle; no, that shouldn’t penalize her considering how fully she and her team dominated before the injury. Minnesota (27-5) has already clinched the playoffs and Collier leads the league in scoring with 23.5 points per game to go along with 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks.

Contender and dark horse: Dream guard Allisha Gray is averaging career-highs in points (19.0), rebounds (5.6) and assists (3.8); Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu is top five in scoring (19.3) and top 10 in assists (5.4).

Advertisement

Defensive Player of the Year

A’ja Wilson, Aces: The three-time MVP may yet find herself in that race, too. But the two-time DPOY is already running away with this one as she leads the league in blocks (2.1), is second in rebounds (9.8) and seventh in steals (1.7). And, lest we forget, she trails only Collier in scoring (22.0).

Contender and dark horse: The Mercury’s triple-double queen, Alyssa Thomas, is third in rebounding (8.7) while playing suffocating defense; Storm forward Gabby Williams leads the league in steals by a wide margin (2.5).

Rookie of the Year

Paige Bueckers, Wings: The UConn legend is seventh in scoring (18.4), eighth in assists (5.4) and fourth in steals (1.8). That’s not just among rookies, but across the entire league. Safe to say she’s met her sky-high expectations.

Advertisement

Contender and dark horse: The Mystics duo of Kiki Iriafen (12.5 pts, 8.3 reb) and Sonia Citron (14.8 pts, 4.5 reb) — both of whom, like Bueckers, were All-Stars this year — have Washington on the fringes of the playoff race.

📚 GOOD READS

Ross Dellenger: What’s the next ‘arms race’ in college sports?

As the NCAA enters its revenue-sharing era, schools are busy finding ways to legally exceed the annual cap to increase the value of their rosters. Tennessee’s new $100 million brand deal with Adidas, which includes a lucrative NIL component, could be the model moving forward.

Jake Mintz: Pete Alonso assumes his rightful place as Mets’ Home Run King

Advertisement

Peter Alonso, as he was often called back then, entered professional baseball as a relative afterthought. The hulking slugger drafted 64th overall out of Florida had talent, of course, but also question marks as a middling athlete with a high offensive bar to clear. Consider it cleared.

Elliot Worsell: The difficulty of containing and feeding Moses Itauma

The 20-year-old British heavyweight takes the ring on Saturday for just his 13th pro fight. And after winning his first 12 in dominant fashion, he already looks like a future superstar. “I know what he’s capable of,” says his manager. “He is a Messi, he is a LeBron, he is a Phelps, he is a Tiger. He is a once-in-a-generation talent who will be a cultural sporting icon.”

🏀 NBA TRIVIA

The Lakers will unveil a statue of former head coach Pat Riley outside Crypto.com Arena in February, making him the eighth figure to be honored by the franchise in that way.

Advertisement

Question: Can you name the other seven Lakers figures with such a statue?

Hint: Three guards, two centers a forward and an announcer.

Answer at the bottom.

⚾️ THE WIN STREAK THAT’S FEEDING A CITY

Nothing brings a city together quite like a team on a hot streak. Add in some free food, and it’s fair to say the vibes in Milwaukee have never been higher.

Free burgers: The Brewers’ 12th consecutive win on Wednesday triggered a free hamburger promotion from local restaurant chain George Webb for just the third time in nearly 80 years.

• Webb, who opened his first lunch counter in 1948, promised to give away free burgers if the Milwaukee Brewers — then a Triple-A team — won 17 straight games. When MLB’s Boston Braves moved to Milwaukee in 1953, he reduced the requisite streak to 12.

• The Braves came and went without hitting the mark, but the Brewers — an expansion team that played one year as the Seattle Pilots before moving to Milwaukee in 1970 — did so in 1987 and 2018, earning fans more than 300,000 free burgers.

• This coming Wednesday it’s all happening again, as fans will have four hours to claim their free sandwich at any of the 23 locations across Wisconsin. Or, for those who can’t make giveaway day, vouchers will be available for pickup starting today.

The last word: “I was nervous,” said Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff, who got the nod with the streak on the line. “There was a little bit more at stake today. I wanted to win those burgers bad. Who doesn’t want a free burger?” Who indeed, Brandon. Who indeed.

Trivia answer: Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Elgin Baylor and Chick Hearn

Advertisement

We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.