Portland Trail Blazers fans (and journalists) who are fans of getting to bed earlier can rejoice this month.
[NBC announced Saturday](https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2025/12/nbc-changes-upcoming-nba-games-standard-doubleheaders/) it is switching the start times for its NBA doubleheaders to 5 and 7:30 p.m. PT for the rest of December. That means the Blazers game against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday, Dec. 29, will air on NBC/Peacock at 7:30 p.m. instead of its original start time of 8 p.m.
The usual 5 and 8 p.m. PT start times for NBC’s doubleheaders this season have been part of the network’s “Coast 2 Coast” format. [Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch](https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2025/12/nbc-changes-upcoming-nba-games-standard-doubleheaders/) noted this format means the games aren’t part of true nationwide doubleheaders, and that 8 p.m. start time for the latter game has been the latest for nationally televised NBA games in almost two decades.
> The games will be the first true doubleheaders on NBC since Opening Night. All other game windows since have been part of the “Coast 2 Coast Tuesday” format, with NBC stations in the Eastern, Central and some Mountain time zones getting an 8 PM ET game and stations in the Pacific time zone getting an 11 PM ET game. (Stations are able to carry both games if they choose.)
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> The 11 PM ET starts have been the latest for any nationally televised NBA games since the 2003 playoffs, when a handful of games aired in that window as part of rare weeknight tripleheaders. By comparison, 10:30 PM ET starts were the norm for years before the league shifted most of its doubleheaders to 7:30/10 PM ET.
If you’re a big fan of doing away with 8 p.m. start times, don’t get used to the change. Lewis said it’s unlikely the NBA will abandon the Coast 2 Coast format after December because of the disruption to local newscasts and late night programming.
Following December, the Blazers have four more NBC games scheduled to start at 8 p.m. during the 2025-26 season:
> Blazers @ Golden State Warriors; Tuesday, Jan. 13 @ 8 p.m.; NBC
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> Blazers vs. Phoenix Suns; Tuesday, Feb. 3 @ 8 p.m.; NBC
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> Blazers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves; Tuesday, Feb. 24 @ 8 p.m.; NBC
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> Blazers @ LA Clippers; Tuesday, March 31 @ 8 p.m.; NBC