Ranking NBA Teams by Number of National TV Games in 2024–25 Season

Tom Dierberger | Aug 16, 2024

Lakers forward LeBron James and Warriors guard Steph Curry chat after a game at Chase Center. / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Counting the number of nationally broadcast games handed out during the NBA's annual schedule release day is one of the best ways to find out what the league thinks about your favorite basketball team.

The NBA is, frankly, in the entertainment business. It makes an effort to showcase its best teams, even if there is a tendency to favor franchises in big markets (looking at you Los Angeles, New York and the Bay Area). That means more nationally broadcast games for the championships contenders, while the teams expected to be toward the top of next year's draft will play most of their games in front of a local television audience.

This year, the NBA handed out the most nationally televised games—aired on ESPN, ABC, TNT and NBA TV—to the Los Angeles Lakers (39), Golden State Warriors (36), Boston Celtics (34) and New York Knicks (30). The Detroit Pistons, Portland Trail Blazers and Toronto Raptors tied for last place with four such games apiece.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are the biggest risers this year in terms of nationally broadcast games, jumping from 10 at this time last season to 25 currently on the 2024–25 schedule. The Oklahoma City Thunder (+12 games), Knicks (+9), Pacers (+8) and Rockets (+7) will also get significant bumps in the national spotlight this season compared to last.

Scroll forth to view the comprehensive list of the nationally televised games handed out to all 30 NBA teams. (Note: If you're curious about how many national TV games each team was awarded without counting NBA TV—meaning just on ESPN, ABC and TNT—scroll down to the second chart.)

TEAM	NATIONAL TV GAMES (including NBA TV)
Los Angeles Lakers	39
Golden State Warriors	36
Boston Celtics	34
New York Knicks	34
Dallas Mavericks	30
Phoenix Suns	30
Denver Nuggets	29
Milwaukee Bucks	27
Philadelphia 76ers	27
Minnesota Timberwolves	25
Oklahoma City Thunder	25
Los Angeles Clippers	21
San Antonio Spurs	21
Memphis Grizzlies	17
Cleveland Cavaliers	16
Indiana Pacers	14
Miami Heat	13
New Orleans Pelicans	13
Sacramento Kings	12
Houston Rockets	11
Orlando Magic	9
Atlanta Hawks	8
Charlotte Hornets	7
Utah Jazz	7
Brooklyn Nets	5
Chicago Bulls	5
Washington Wizards	5
Detroit Pistons	4
Portland Trail Blazers	4
Toronto Raptors	4

Now, not all NBA fans have access to NBA TV. Here's a list of the national televised games that each team will play on ESPN, ABC and TNT:

TEAM	NATIONAL TV GAMES (excluding NBA TV)
Los Angeles Lakers	29
Boston Celtics	26
Golden State Warriors	24
New York Knicks	24
Dallas Mavericks	23
Denver Nuggets	22
Philadelphia 76ers	21
Phoenix Suns	19
Minnesota Timberwolves	18
Milwaukee Bucks	17
Oklahoma City Thunder	15
San Antonio Spurs	13
Cleveland Cavaliers	9
Indiana Pacers	9
Los Angeles Clippers	9
Memphis Grizzlies	9
New Orleans Pelicans	9
Miami Heat	7
Sacramento Kings	6
Orlando Magic	5
Houston Rockets	3
Atlanta Hawks	2
Chicago Bulls	2
Utah Jazz	2
Brooklyn Nets	1
Charlotte Hornets	1
Detroit Pistons	1
Portland Trail Blazers	1
Toronto Raptors	1
Washington Wizards	1

The 2024–25 NBA regular season tips off Oct. 22 with a doubleheader on TNT, as the Knicks battle the Celtics at TD Garden, and the Timberwolves visit the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.