The NBA officially unveiled the entire schedule for the 2024-25 regular season on Thursday. Only 80 of each team’s 82 games were announced, as the last two games will be determined based on their performance in group play of the NBA Cup. But everything else is now set in stone, including the matchups for opening night, the slate of Christmas Day games, and key meetings between rivalries both old and new.
Opening night of the 2024-25 season will be on Oct. 22, with the regular season concluding on April 13. The NBA Cup group stage — which was previously named the In-Season Tournament — will start on Nov. 12 and will continue every Tuesday and Friday through Dec. 3. The semifinals and championship game for the NBA Cup will be on Dec. 14 and Dec. 17. All-Star Weekend is set for Feb. 14-16 in San Francisco, with the Play-In Tournament slated for April 15-18. The playoffs will begin on April 19.
Here’s other notes on the NBA schedule release:
Opening night
Christmas Day
San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks, 12 p.m. ET
Minnesota Timberwolves at Dallas Mavericks, 2:30 p.m. ET
Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics, 5 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors, 8 p.m. ET
Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns, 10 p.m. ET
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Fourteen teams will compete on MLK Jr. Day on Jan. 20, with three of those matchups being nationally televised.
Dallas Mavericks at Charlotte Hornets, 12 p.m. ET
Minnesota Timberwolves at Memphis Grizzlies, 2:30 p.m. ET
Boston Celtics at Golden State Warriors, 5 p.m. ET
Rivalry Week
For the third season, Rivalry Week will be returning to the NBA calendar. There will be 10 nationally televised games showcasing both classic and budding rivalries across the league between Jan. 21-Jan. 25.
Jan. 21: New York Knicks at Brooklyn Nets, 7:30 p.m. ET
New York Knicks at Brooklyn Nets, 7:30 p.m. ET Jan. 21: Philadelphia 76ers at Denver Nuggets, 10 p.m. ET
Philadelphia 76ers at Denver Nuggets, 10 p.m. ET Jan. 22: Minnesota Timberwolves at Dallas Mavericks, 7:30 p.m. ET
Minnesota Timberwolves at Dallas Mavericks, 7:30 p.m. ET Jan. 22: Golden State Warriors at Sacramento Kings, 10 p.m. ET
Golden State Warriors at Sacramento Kings, 10 p.m. ET Jan. 23: Miami Heat at Milwaukee Bucks, 7:30 p.m. ET
Miami Heat at Milwaukee Bucks, 7:30 p.m. ET Jan. 23: Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m. ET
Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m. ET Jan. 24: New Orleans Pelicans at Memphis Grizzlies, 8 p.m. ET
New Orleans Pelicans at Memphis Grizzlies, 8 p.m. ET Jan. 25: Denver Nuggets at Minnesota Timberwolves, 3 p.m. ET
Denver Nuggets at Minnesota Timberwolves, 3 p.m. ET Jan. 25: Boston Celtics at Dallas Mavericks, 5:30 p.m. ET
Boston Celtics at Dallas Mavericks, 5:30 p.m. ET Jan. 25: Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors, 8:30 p.m. ET
Key dates