Basketball fans can officially start marking their calendars.
The NBA released its complete 2023-24 regular season schedule on Thursday. The regular season tips off on October 24 with a pair of games on TNT.
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers travel to Denver to face Nikola Jokić and the defending-champion Nuggets in the first game of the new season. Later that night, Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors will host Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns. Twelve-time All-Star Chris Paul will make his Warriors debut in that game and face the team he played with the past three seasons. The game will also mark the Suns debut of three-time All-Star Bradley Beal, whom Phoenix acquired in the offseason.
Check out the schedules for all 30 NBA teams below.
The NBA’s 2023 Christmas Day slate will feature five games:
- Milwaukee Bucks vs. New York Knicks
- Golden State Warriors vs. Denver Nuggets
- Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers
- Philadelphia 76ers vs. Miami Heat
- Dallas Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns
Earlier this week, the NBA unveiled the schedule for its inaugural in-season tournament. Now that the entire regular season schedule has been released, here are five dates to look forward to this NBA season.
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Wembanyama NBA debut, plus other key dates
Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, makes his NBA debut for the San Antonio Spurs on October 25 against the Dallas Mavericks. The game will be played in front of Spurs fans in San Antonio and be nationally televised on ESPN.
The 7-foot-5 French phenom is perhaps the most anticipated rookie to join the league since James. And speaking of James, Wembanyama is scheduled to play the NBA’s all-time leading scorer for the first time on December 13. Wembanyama will face off against the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, Brandon Miller, for the first time on Jan. 12 when the Spurs host the Charlotte Hornets.
LeBron vs. Durant is finally back
James and Durant are widely regarded as two of the best players in NBA history.
Unfortunately for fans, the two future Hall of Famers haven’t played against each other since 2018. A combination of injuries, Durant changing teams and other factors have prevented the two MVPs from going head-to-head.
The Suns are scheduled to play the Lakers for the first time this season on October 26 in Los Angeles. James and Durant last shared the court on Christmas Day in 2018.
‘Rivals Week’ games to look forward to
The NBA is holding its second-annual “Rivals Week” January 23-27.
Games between rival teams will be the focus of all 11 nationally televised games across four networks (TNT, ESPN, ABC, NBA TV) during those five days.
Rivalry Week will culminate in a triple-header on ABC. The Heat and Knicks will play in a rematch from the 2023 Eastern Conference Semifinals. Then, reigning MVP Joel Embiid and the 76ers will visit Jokić and the Nuggets. Embiid and Jokić have both finished in the top-two of MVP voting in each of the last three seasons, with Jokić winning twice. The week will finish off with the Lakers vs. Warriors in San Francisco. Los Angeles eliminated Golden State in last season’s playoffs, plus James and Curry have a long playoff history.
Bucks vs. Grizzlies heading into All-Star Weekend
TNT will lead into the 2024 All-Star Weekend with a matchup between two of the top teams in the NBA last season, which both suffered early playoff exits—the Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies.
The Bucks, led by All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo, had the best record in the league last season, going 58-24 before losing to the Heat in the first round of the playoffs. The Grizzlies finished 51-31, good for second in the Western Conference, but were eliminated by the Lakers in the first round.
The Bucks and Grizzlies will play on February 15.
2023 NBA Finals rematch coming in February
The Nuggets beat the Heat in five games to win the 2023 NBA Finals. Jokić was named Finals MVP after averaging 30.2 points, 14 rebounds and 7.2 assists across the five-game series. The first rematch of that series will be held on February 29 in Denver.
Jimmy Butler and the Heat could be coming to town with a new star.
Seven-time All-Star point guard Damian Lillard requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers this offseason. Multiple reports indicate that Lillard wants to be traded to the Heat. Whether a trade gets worked out is still up in the air, but Lillard joining the reigning Eastern Conference champions in South Beach would add a new layer of intrigue to this Finals rematch.
The Nuggets and Heat will also play in Miami on March 13.