Next NBA season openers sees NY Knicks at Boston Celtics, T-Wolves at LA Lakers

NEW YORK – The National Basketball Association (NBA) will open its 2024-25 season with reigning champions the Boston Celtics hosting the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers welcoming the Minnesota Timberwolves in a schedule unveiled on Aug 15.

The 79th NBA regular season tips off on Oct 22 and concludes on April 13, 2025.

The Celtics will unfurl an 18th NBA championship banner before facing the Knicks in a clash of the top two Eastern Conference play-off seeds.

All-time NBA scoring leader LeBron James will begin a record-tying 22nd league campaign when the Lakers host Minnesota, with the Timberwolves coming off their first trip in 20 years to the Western Conference final last term.

The NBA play-offs will begin on April 19, after play-in games on April 15-18, with the best-of-seven NBA Finals set to start on June 5.

Each team will play 82 regular-season games, with some match-ups to be determined as a result of the NBA Cup, the in-season tournament that begins on Nov 12 and concludes in December in Las Vegas.

On Oct 23, the second day of the NBA campaign, nine-time NBA All-Star Paul George makes his debut for the Philadelphia 76ers against the visiting Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Clippers play their first game in their new home arena, the Intuit Dome, against the Phoenix Suns.

Reigning Western Conference champions the Dallas Mavericks, with new guard Klay Thompson, will play host on Oct 24 to San Antonio, with reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama and new Spurs guard Chris Paul starting his 20th NBA campaign.

That night also sees Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder visit reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets.

The NBA will also stage games in Mexico City on Nov 2 between the Miami Heat and Washington Wizards and on Jan 23 and 25, 2025 in Paris between the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio.

The Lakers are a main dish for Christmas Day for the 26th consecutive season – visiting the Golden State Warriors – and a star attraction in prime time again this season, appearing on national television 39 times with 11 games on TNT, 10 games on ESPN, six games on ABC and 12 games on NBA TV.

The other games on Dec 25 are San Antonio at New York, Minnesota at Dallas, Philadelphia at Boston and Denver at Phoenix.

The 2025 NBA All-Star Game will be played on Feb 16 at Chase Centre in San Francisco.
AFP, REUTERS