NBA Wednesday: Haliburton’s Iowa Homecoming, the Post-Giannis Bucks and the Boozer-Era Grizzlies

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2026 — Wednesday’s five-game NBA preseason slate reads like a tour of the league’s most compelling storylines: a superstar’s college homecoming in Iowa, life after Giannis in Milwaukee, the first minutes of the Cam Boozer era in Memphis — and a Warriors team rolling into Portland fresh off a 45-point first quarter.

Preseason basketball is about rotations, rookies and storylines — the wins and losses barely register. But the narratives on Wednesday night are as rich as anything October offers. All times ET.

NBA Preseason · Wednesday 7pm ETPacers vs. Timberwolves — Haliburton’s Iowa homecoming

The night’s most emotional setting is in Ames, Iowa, where the Pacers meet the Timberwolves at James H. Hilton Coliseum. For Tyrese Haliburton, it is a homecoming: the Pacers’ star returns to his old college barn, the building where he starred for Iowa State before the NBA came calling.

Minnesota arrives off a 116-97 preseason win over Milwaukee on Monday, the kind of tune-up result that means little in the standings and plenty for a rotation taking shape. For Indiana, though, the evening belongs to its point guard and the Iowa crowd that watched him first — a rare October night where the loudest ovation may come before tip-off.

The setting does most of the work here. James H. Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa, is where Haliburton starred for Iowa State before the NBA came calling, and a preseason homecoming in his old college barn is the rare October night where the emotional center of the evening belongs to one player and the crowd that watched him first. Minnesota’s 116-97 preseason win over Milwaukee on Monday says little about the standings and plenty about a rotation taking shape — but for Indiana, the box score is secondary to the homecoming, and the ovation before tip-off may be the moment everyone remembers.

NBA Preseason · Wednesday 8pm ETSuns vs. Bulls — Ishbia’s playoff-level team

The Suns visit the Bulls at the United Center with expectations doing the talking. Owner Mat Ishbia has called this a “playoff-level team” built around superstar Devin Booker, and the bar is set accordingly: Phoenix reached the playoffs last season and intends to be back.

Fine-tuning is still the preseason order of business. The Suns dropped their opener 109-107 at Detroit on Monday — the kind of October result that teaches more than it stings. Chicago, meanwhile, hasn’t had a winning season since 2021-22, but there is genuine optimism in rookie Caleb Wilson, the 4th overall pick in the 2026 draft, and preseason is where that optimism gets its first public minutes.

NBA Preseason · Wednesday 8pm ETBucks vs. Thunder — the post-Giannis era

Milwaukee visits Oklahoma City at Paycom Center, and the storyline is bigger than any rotation battle: the post-Giannis era is officially underway. Giannis Antetokounmpo now plays for the Miami Heat, and the Bucks are in full rebuild after missing even the Play-in last season.

The national television schedule tells you everything about where the league thinks Milwaukee stands: the Bucks are scheduled for just four national TV appearances all season — they had 24 at this time last year. And the local viewing experience is brand new too: with the FanDuel Sports Network collapse, Bucks games now air over-the-air on MY24 in Milwaukee and stream via the Bucks+ subscription. A new era, on every screen.

The scale of the fall is hard to overstate. This is a franchise in full rebuild after missing even the Play-in last season, with its former franchise player now wearing a Miami Heat uniform — and the league’s scheduling reflects it. Four national TV appearances all season, down from 24 at this time last year, is the clearest signal of where Milwaukee sits in the pecking order. The local picture changed just as dramatically with the FanDuel Sports Network collapse: Bucks games now air over-the-air on MY24 in Milwaukee and stream through the Bucks+ subscription. Post-Giannis is not just a roster reset — it is a new team on new screens in a new reality.

NBA Preseason · Wednesday 8pm ETMagic vs. Grizzlies — the Cam Boozer era begins

Orlando visits Memphis at FedExForum, and the building will be watching one rookie above all: Cam Boozer, the No. 3 overall pick and son of Carlos Boozer, headlines a fresh start in Memphis after the Ja Morant era ended. His first minutes in a Grizzlies uniform are the preseason’s most anticipated debut.

Memphis shares Milwaukee’s national-TV reality — just four national games — and its local situation changed with the FanDuel collapse too: Grizzlies games moved to DAZN exclusively. On the court, the early returns are fun: Memphis beat Atlanta 132-123 on Monday, an offense-first identity taking shape around its new cornerstone.

The Boozer era arrives with its own clean break from the past. Memphis moved on from the Ja Morant era and handed its future to the No. 3 overall pick, the son of Carlos Boozer, whose first minutes in a Grizzlies uniform are the preseason’s most anticipated debut. The early returns are fun — a 132-123 win over Atlanta on Monday with an offense-first identity taking shape around the new cornerstone — and the business side mirrors Milwaukee’s upheaval: just four national games, and a local broadcast picture reshaped by the FanDuel collapse, with Grizzlies games now exclusively on DAZN. A new cornerstone, a new look, a new way to watch.

NBA Preseason · Wednesday 10pm ETWarriors vs. Trail Blazers — closing the night in Portland

The nightcap belongs to Golden State, which visits Portland at Moda Center riding Tuesday’s fireworks: a 124-98 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers in San Francisco, a game the Warriors opened with a 45-point first quarter.

Steph Curry needed only 14:19 to leave his mark on Tuesday: 16 points, 5 assists, plus-26. Whether he plays meaningful minutes in Portland is the open question — preseason load management is its own storyline — but the Warriors’ young rotation will get a long look either way.

Tuesday’s preseason action already set a high bar: the Nets rolled Charlotte 124-90, the Pelicans erased a 24-point deficit to beat the Thunder 116-110, and the Nuggets bounced back in Utah with a 117-106 win over the Jazz. Wednesday adds five more chapters — homecomings, new eras, and rookies — to the preseason story. See all of the league’s coverage on the NBA page.