The NBA’s opening night schedule will feature home games for the league’s two most accomplished franchises, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the Celtics will host the Knicks in the early game, while the Lakers will host the Timberwolves in the late game.
The Celtics, who won their record 18th NBA title in June, will receive their championship rings on opening night, which will take place on Tuesday, October 22. That game will be the first for the new-look Knicks, featuring Mikal Bridges.
The game between the Lakers and Timberwolves will feature several stars who participated in Saturday’s gold medal game in Paris, including LeBron James and Anthony Davis of the Lakers and Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert of the Wolves.
Both games will air on TNT Sports, which will be distributing NBA games for one final year in 2024/25, assuming their lawsuit against the league doesn’t result in a new broadcast rights deal that begins in ’25/26.
The full regular schedule for the 2024/25 NBA season is expected to be released later this week, according to Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. In the meantime, here are a few more notable matchups, courtesy of Charania:
- The new-look Sixers, led by former MVP Joel Embiid, reigning Most Improved Player Tyrese Maxey, and free agent addition Paul George, will host the Bucks on October 23 to open their regular season (Twitter link).
- The first regular season game at the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood will be played on October 23, when the Clippers host the Suns (Twitter link).
- Klay Thompson and the Mavericks will visit the Warriors on November 12 in Thompson’s first trip back to the Bay Area (Twitter link). That will also be the first game of the in-season tournament (NBA Cup) for both Dallas and Golden State (Twitter link).
- The NBA Finals rematches between the Celtics and Mavericks will take place on January 25 in Dallas and February 6 in Boston (Twitter link).
- In case you missed it, 2024’s Christmas Day matchups were reported last week.
Wolves Lakers? What a random matchup
Old vs New
LeBron vs “the next MJ”
Minnesota vs formerly Minnesota
I like it
You know the NBA is kicking themselves for making these choices before the Olympics. Opening night should be Lakers/Suns and Warriors/Celtics.
This time I agree with the Celtics/Warriors. That game will be insanely awesome. Boston will be waiting for Steve Kerr and Kyrie is somewhere smiling because he is no longer Public Enemy #1.
The Celtics are top dog and the warriors a maybe play in, so I don’t get your power point. Watching curry drop 40 and lose by 30 to the well balanced and top dog Celtics is not working. Lakers/ Suns give the east coast a break.
Yeah might as well have the Hornets or Pistons play the Celtics…
At least the Suns have a few possible All Stars…
Olympics are dude. Out down the pipe. Or pass it to me ……..
Celtics/knicks will be fire.
I wanted to see Orlando or the knicks against Boston last year…should be interesting to see what lineups the Knicks go with, but they’re title contenders, in my opinion (without having looked at the landscape yet really). They still could use a big, but that doesn’t matter against Boston
Hell yes. That’s gonna be one of the best games of the year
Oct 22 ……. No KP. We don’t care. Statement game lols .
Get the Confetti ready.
Interesting choices…
Statement games…
Top dogs in the East…
New guard vs old guard in the West…
I like it…