Nets Open 2026-27 Season at Home Against Hornets

The Brooklyn Nets will begin their 2026-27 regular season Wednesday night at Barclays Center, hosting the Charlotte Hornets in their first game of the year. After a strong preseason and a convincing win over Charlotte earlier this month, Brooklyn will look to carry that momentum into the games that count.

With a new-look roster, several key additions, and a chance to start the season with a win in front of their home crowd, Brooklyn has plenty to look forward to heading into opening night. The Nets and Hornets are scheduled to tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET.

The Nets finished the preseason with a 3-1 record, showing encouraging signs as they worked new players into the rotation. Brooklyn opened exhibition play with a dominant 124-90 victory over Charlotte on October 6 before picking up wins against the Philadelphia 76ers and Washington Wizards. The Nets suffered their only preseason loss in the finale against the Miami Heat, giving them a few things to work on before the games started counting.

That first meeting with the Hornets offered an early look at what Brooklyn could bring to the table this season. Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 16 points, while Julius Randle added 13 and Nolan Traoré chipped in 10. Charlotte struggled to keep pace, and Brooklyn ultimately cruised to a 34-point victory on the road.

Wednesday's matchup will be a different challenge, however, with the regular season officially underway and Charlotte expected to have Brandon Miller available after he missed the preseason opener.

Brooklyn will also have several players making their first official appearances in a Nets uniform. Randle, Mo Wagner, and Keon Ellis are all set to make their regular-season debuts with the team, giving fans their first opportunity to see the offseason additions in a game that counts.

Randle will be one of the players to watch as Brooklyn begins its season. His scoring ability, experience, and playmaking should give the Nets another option to turn to when the offense needs a spark. Ellis will also be worth watching after opening the preseason in the starting backcourt alongside Egor Dëmin, while Wagner adds another option to Brooklyn's frontcourt rotation.

Rookie guard Mikel Brown Jr. is another player to watch heading into Wednesday's opener. The sixth overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft missed Brooklyn's first three preseason games while recovering from an ankle injury before returning for the finale against Miami. Brown showed flashes of the scoring ability and playmaking that made him such an intriguing prospect, and he'll now get his first taste of regular-season NBA action as the Nets begin their campaign.

The Nets will enter opening night relatively healthy, with rookie Tyler Bilodeau the only player expected to be unavailable. First-round pick Joshua Jefferson has progressed from the back stiffness that sidelined him during the preseason and has now practiced in full contact. He will be available for Wednesday's season opener against Charlotte, giving Brooklyn another option as it begins the regular season.

Charlotte, meanwhile, has several more questions to answer before tip-off.

Coby White and Kon Knueppel remain without a timetable to return as they deal with calf and hamstring injuries, respectively. Hornets head coach Charles Lee recently said both players had been able to do more in practice and handle more contact, but neither had a confirmed return date as of his latest update.

Grant Williams is also working his way back from a hamstring injury after missing the entire preseason. He is scheduled to be re-evaluated during the first week of the regular season, leaving his availability for Wednesday uncertain.

With several Charlotte players unavailable, Brooklyn has an opportunity to take advantage of the matchup, particularly with home-court advantage on its side. The Nets have already demonstrated that they can give the Hornets problems, and another strong performance from their new additions could help them start the season on the right foot.

Of course, the preseason result does not guarantee anything once the regular season begins. Charlotte will have a chance to respond, and Brooklyn will need to bring the energy and execution it showed during its three preseason victories.

For the Nets, Wednesday is about more than carrying preseason momentum into the regular season. It is the beginning of a season that will give the team's young players more opportunities to develop while allowing the new veterans to establish themselves in Fernández's system. Starting with a win at Barclays Center would be an encouraging first step.

The Nets and Hornets will tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday night as Brooklyn looks to open the 2026-27 regular season with a victory in front of its home fans.