# Best NBA games on Thursday, December 17, 2026

Thursday, December 17, 2026 · 3 games · times ET

The best NBA game on Thursday, December 17 is the Dallas Mavericks at Philadelphia 76ers, 7:00 PM ET. Next best: Hawks at Nuggets (9:00 PM ET) and Trail Blazers at Pacers (7:00 PM ET).

Every game is scored 0–100 for how worth watching it is: stakes, star matchups, form, rest and travel. How we score: https://hoopsmenu.com/how-we-score

## 1. Dallas Mavericks at Philadelphia 76ers — score 81

7:00 PM ET · NBA TV · House Special (Worth watching) · [details](https://hoopsmenu.com/games/0022600382)

- Star duel: Tyrese Maxey vs Cooper Flagg
- Both sides come in hot

## 2. Atlanta Hawks at Denver Nuggets — score 79

9:00 PM ET · Local TV · League Pass · Worth a Look (Good background) · [details](https://hoopsmenu.com/games/0022600383)

- Star duel: Nikola Jokić vs Jalen Johnson
- Records are close enough for a live one

## 3. Portland Trail Blazers at Indiana Pacers — score 57

7:00 PM ET · Local TV · League Pass · Late Menu (For fans) · [details](https://hoopsmenu.com/games/0022600381)

- Star duel: Pascal Siakam vs Deni Avdija

Previous night: [Wed, Dec 16](https://hoopsmenu.com/nba/tonight/2026-12-16) · Next night: [Fri, Dec 18](https://hoopsmenu.com/nba/tonight/2026-12-18)

This week's top games: https://hoopsmenu.com/nba/top-games · Tonight: https://hoopsmenu.com/nba/tonight

_Updated Tue, Nov 10, 2:40 PM EST._

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Source: https://hoopsmenu.com/nba/tonight/2026-12-17 · Hoops Menu (https://hoopsmenu.com)