The NBA schedule released today and the Miami Heat will play in five nationally-televised games for the 2025-26 NBA season. This is a significant drop from having 16 games last season. While some games could be flexed, the opponents they have are intriguing.

Nov. 14 at New York Knicks

• 2024-25 record: 51-31 (3rd in the East)
• Network: Amazon Prime
• Key Matchup: Karl-Anthony Towns vs. Bam Adebayo

Their first network game will be their second of three matchups against the Knicks. The Heat are going to receive and it comes nearly a month into the season. Having your first televised game so late is a testament to the excitement surrounding the Miami Heat this year… not much.

With Jimmy Butler gone and the Heat being in the middle of the play-in pack, Miami doesn’t have a lot of draw as a 37-45 team from the year prior. While the Heat could play better with a weaker East than last year and the addition of Norman Powell, it might be the same range for Erik Spoelstra’s squad. The NBA has to be strategic in who the Heat would play in these bigger market games.

The Knicks are going to draw anytime they’re on television with their New York brand. The Knicks have a star in Jalen Brunson, while the matchup between Karl-Anthony Towns and Bam Adebayo will be intriguing. We might see spurts of the game where Kel’el Ware takes a stab at defending Towns, so this could be a fun game to watch on Prime.

Nov. 19 hosting Golden State Warriors

• 2024-25 record: 48-34 (7th in the West)
• Network: ESPN
• Key Matchup: Jimmy Butler vs. Tyler Herro

I feel this game was put on the schedule solely because it will be Jimmy Butler returning to Miami to play his former team. Why else would you put this game on television? I don’t commend the NBA placing these televised games so close together, as they could have went with the October 26th matchup for the Knicks, but this was obvious to get Butler’s return to the 305.

This is Miami’s only ESPN appearance this year, who will dominate the headlines that day about Butler’s return and utilize those segments on their morning shows. This game won’t just be about Jimmy Butler coming back, but to have Stephen Curry on ESPN will be a delight for basketball fans.

While we likely won’t see many times Herro is guarding Butler, it might be the inverse. The Heat was once Butler’s team and now it’s expected to be Tyler Herro as he draws closer to an extension with the Miami Heat. This is Tyler’s time to be a Herro and might be the most important game on Miami’s schedule and of Tyler Herro’s career.

Jan. 6 at Minnesota Timberwolves

• 2024-25 record: 49-33 (6th in the West)
• Network: NBC
• Key Matchup: Anthony Edwards vs. Tyler Herro

The Heat won’t be back in the spotlight until January when they play the Timberwolves. After skipping the Christmas Day slate, the Heat will have their hands full with Anthony Edwards.

This T-Wolves team might be looking at acquisitions before the trade deadline that could spark some more interest with this game. I feel like this Timberwolves team needs more than just Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert, so Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle can only do so much.

I’d expect Herro to have received his extension by this point, but it’s two young talents at the same position and if Herro wants to be considering one of the league’s best, this performance against Anthony Edwards could change some minds on the 25-year-old.

Feb. 28 hosting Houston Rockets

• 2024-25 record: 52-20 (2nd in the West)
• Network: Amazon Prime
• Key Matchup: Kevin Durant vs. Norman Powell

Houston will be Miami’s first nationally-televised game after the trade deadline on February 5, 2026. The Heat were considering trading for Kevin Durant this offseason, but opted to not spare their young assets to the Phoenix Suns. Instead, the Rockets landed KD for a package surrounding Jalen Green and are pushing for a win-now mode.

With that win-now mentality, it’s very likely the Rockets will make another move before the deadline to help Kevin Durant at this stage of his career. Do not be surprised if a bigger name is linked to the Rockets. Meanwhile, the Heat are in limbo. If they are hovering around the 4-5 seed in the East, I could see this team making a move to help the current team. If the Heat are in the play-in tournament or worse, I could see them moving a piece to acquire assets for the future.

Norman Powell is a name to watch for. Rather than acquiring Durant, the Heat went with a much cheaper option of bringing Powell in on an expiring contract. Powell continues to get better each year and is a lot cheaper than Durant. This game will justify Miami’s offseason decisions or make them look like an inept organization to the national media.

Mar. 30 at Philadelphia 76ers

• 2024-25 record: 24-58 (13th in the East)
• Network: Peacock
• Key Matchup: Miami’s Rotation vs. Philadelphia’s Depth

This is the only nationally-televised opponent that finished with a worse record than the Heat did last season. The Heat and 76ers have a decent rivalry as two of the teams atop the Eastern Conference, but with injuries and disgruntled stars, both teams have fallen off their high horse.

This game could very well be flexed out of this position on Peacock, and we don’t know what we’ll get from either of these teams in March. The Heat will have 5 remaining games after this (BOS, WSH, TOR, TOR, WSH) and could be fighting for another play-in tournament or accepting that their season is over.

This will be more about Philadelphia’s health. Joel Embiid, Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, and Jared McCain could be dangerous if healthy, but that’s not been the circumstances as of late. If the Heat don’t trade away pieces at the deadline, their depth of wing players could be playing against a lot of Philadelphia reserves.

What game intrigues you most for the 2025-26 season for the Miami Heat? Do you want to see more or less of the Heat? Was there a matchup the league blanked on? Let us know in the comments below.