By ESPN, 2024-09-24 06:00:00
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
2024-25 赛季 NBA 赛程现已公布。哪些首秀、球星对决、重聚和季后赛重演最让我们期待？
下赛季，许多球星将身披新球衣——最引人注目的是克莱·汤普森 (Klay Thompson) 加盟达拉斯独行侠队、保罗·乔治 (Paul George) 加盟费城 76 人队、米卡尔·布里奇斯 (Mikal Bridges) 加盟纽约尼克斯队以及德玛尔·德罗赞 (DeMar DeRozan) 加盟萨克拉门托国王队——这将促成一些不容错过的重聚。
顶级新秀将展开对决，领衔的是 10 月份状元秀扎卡里·里萨谢 (Zaccharie Risacher) 对阵榜眼秀亚历克斯·萨尔 (Alex Sarr) 以及 11 月份多诺万·克林根 (Donovan Clingan) 与扎克·埃迪 (Zach Edey) 在 2024 年 NCAA 总决赛中的重演。
上届年度最佳新秀维克多·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 将寻求在他的 NBA 超级巨星之路上迈出下一步，而 39 岁的勒布朗·詹姆斯 (LeBron James) 刚在巴黎获得金牌，他将开启他在联盟中追平历史纪录的第 22 个赛季。
这些只是我们迫不及待地想在 2024-25 赛季中看到上演的一些故事情节。ESPN 的 NBA 内部人士详细分析了即将到来的赛季中最令人期待的比赛，包括何时观看文班的比赛、每一场重要的复仇之战、五场圣诞大战以及洛杉矶两支球队之间的关键对决。
跳转至：
NBA 赛程常见问题解答 | 众星云集的揭幕战
不容错过的重聚 | 季后赛重演
圣诞大战 | 勒布朗最重要的比赛
重磅对决 | 所有 30 支球队的赛程
NBA 赛程常见问题解答
NBA 季前赛何时开始？
波士顿凯尔特人队和丹佛掘金队将于 9 月 24 日开始训练营，为 10 月 4 日和 6 日在阿布扎比举行的两场季前赛做准备。其余球队将于 10 月 1 日开始训练营，季前赛将从 10 月 4 日持续到 10 月 18 日。
NBA 揭幕战是什么时候？
NBA 常规赛将于 10 月 22 日开始，由凯尔特人队主场迎战纽约尼克斯队，随后是明尼苏达森林狼队客场挑战洛杉矶湖人队。所有其他球队将于 10 月 23 日开始他们的征程。
阿联酋航空 NBA 杯（也称为赛季中锦标赛）是什么时候举行？
第二届锦标赛将所有 30 支 NBA 球队分成六组，每组五支球队。每支球队将与同组对手进行一次交锋，小组赛将在四个星期二（11 月 12 日、19 日、26 日和 12 月 3 日）和三个星期五（11 月 15 日、22 日和 29 日）进行。淘汰赛阶段将于 12 月 10 日和 12 月 11 日开始进行四分之一决赛。半决赛（12 月 14 日）和冠军赛（12 月 17 日）将在拉斯维加斯举行。
NBA 圣诞大战的赛程安排是什么？
12 月 25 日将有五场比赛：
- 圣安东尼奥马刺队对阵纽约尼克斯队（美国东部时间下午 12 点）
- 明尼苏达森林狼队对阵达拉斯独行侠队（美国东部时间下午 2:30）
- 费城 76 人队对阵波士顿凯尔特人队（美国东部时间下午 5 点）
- 洛杉矶湖人队对阵金州勇士队（美国东部时间晚上 8 点）
- 丹佛掘金队对阵菲尼克斯太阳队（美国东部时间晚上 10:30）
NBA 全明星赛的时间和地点？
NBA 全明星赛将于 2 月 16 日在旧金山大通中心举行，这里是金州勇士队的主场。
NBA 季后赛何时开始？
常规赛将于 4 月 13 日结束，随后是 4 月 15 日至 4 月 18 日的附加赛。季后赛首轮将于 4 月 19 日开始。
众星云集的首周对决
纽约尼克斯队对阵波士顿凯尔特人队
10 月 22 日，美国东部时间晚上 7:30 | TNT
卫冕冠军将迎战他们最有可能在东部决赛中遇到的对手，以此来庆祝他们获得 2024 年的总冠军。尼克斯队在 5 月份距离面对凯尔特人队仅差一场胜利，而米卡尔·布里奇斯的加盟增加了他们在明年春天进行深度季后赛之旅的机会。 – 凯文·佩尔顿 (Kevin Pelton)
菲尼克斯太阳队对阵洛杉矶快船队
10 月 23 日，美国东部时间晚上 10 点 | ESPN
快船队将在英图伊特球馆首次亮相，这座球馆的设计对球迷十分友好，包括旨在杜绝客场球迷的“The Wall”，他们的对手将是金牌得主德文·布克 (Devin Booker)、凯文·杜兰特 (Kevin Durant) 和太阳队。这也是我们在保罗·乔治在休赛期转投费城后第一次看到没有他的快船队。 – 佩尔顿
圣安东尼奥马刺队对阵达拉斯独行侠队
10 月 24 日，美国东部时间晚上 7:30 | TNT
维克多·文班亚马将开始他的第二个 NBA 赛季，他的对手是一位对二年级跳跃式进步有所了解的球员：卢卡·东契奇 (Luka Doncic)，他在赢得年度最佳新秀后的一个赛季，在 21 岁时就入选了 NBA 最佳阵容一阵。独行侠队刚刚结束总决赛之旅，他们将整合夏季新援克莱·汤普森。 – 佩尔顿
世仇？不容错过的重聚
达拉斯独行侠队对阵金州勇士队
11 月 12 日，美国东部时间晚上 10 点 | TNT
这将是本赛季最令人期待的复仇之战，克莱·汤普森希望给他的老东家一个教训。虽然他在金州的传奇已经随着他与斯蒂芬·库里 (Stephen Curry) 组成了 NBA 历史上最伟大的后场组合之一而载入史册，并帮助球队获得了四座总冠军奖杯，但消息人士告诉 ESPN 的雷蒙娜·谢尔本 (Ramona Shelburne) 和肯德拉·安德鲁斯 (Kendra Andrews)，汤普森在他的第 13 个也是最后一个赛季与勇士队的续约谈判中感到“痛苦”和“不被尊重”。东契奇和凯里·欧文 (Kyrie Irving) 将会希望在汤普森第一次面对库里和德雷蒙德·格林 (Draymond Green) 时就找到他的身影，希望这位神射手能够在本赛季挑战他在面对老东家的比赛中单场命中 14 记三分球的纪录。 – 奥姆·扬米斯克 (Ohm Youngmisuk)
费城 76 人队对阵洛杉矶快船队
11 月 6 日，美国东部时间晚上 10 点 | ESPN
保罗·乔治对快船队不愿给他一份与 1 月份给科怀·伦纳德 (Kawhi Leonard) 相同的三年 1.5 亿美元续约合同感到不满。等到谈判恢复时，乔治的身价已经上涨了。快船队不愿给乔治一份顶薪合同或一份不可交易条款，他们让这位全明星后卫加盟了 76 人队，以避免可怕的第二工资帽。乔治与 76 人队签署了一份为期四年、价值 2.12 亿美元的合同，他原本应该与伦纳德一起在英图伊特球馆亮相。相反，他将充满动力，在选举日后的晚上点燃史蒂夫·鲍尔默 (Steve Ballmer) 的科技奇迹。事实上，快船队将在 11 月的两周半时间里与乔治和 76 人队进行两场常规赛。 – 扬米斯克
萨克拉门托国王队对阵芝加哥公牛队
1 月 12 日，美国东部时间下午 3:30
德罗赞不仅回到了他的家乡加州，而且在通过先签后换的方式加盟国王队后，他又回到了 playoff 的竞争者行列。德罗赞在芝加哥度过了三个赛季，场均得到 25.5 分，但在那段时间里，公牛队只进入过一次季后赛，并在首轮就被淘汰出局。德罗赞将渴望在七个赛季中第三次重返季后赛，并向他的新球队证明他是 NBA 中最关键的球员之一。如果这场比赛在最后时刻势均力敌，德罗赞很可能会提醒公牛队这一点。– 扬米斯克
布鲁克林篮网队对阵纽约尼克斯队
11 月 15 日，美国东部时间晚上 7:30
自 1983 年以来，尼克斯队和篮网队直到今年夏天才进行了交易。当布鲁克林的球迷看到布里奇斯穿着尼克斯队的球衣时，他们可能会觉得他们的球队已经回到了 80 年代初。篮网队在这位攻防兼备的球员的交易中获得了巨大的回报，得到了四个不受保护的首轮选秀权、一个前四顺位保护的首轮选秀权、一个不受保护的首轮选秀权互换权和一个次轮选秀权。但所有这些未来的选秀权都无法在 11 月 15 日于麦迪逊广场花园帮助篮网队，届时他们将不得不看着布里奇斯和这支新生的尼克斯队，而这很可能会以他们的失败告终。 – 扬米斯克
再来一次：重要的季后赛重演
波士顿凯尔特人队对阵达拉斯独行侠队
1 月 25 日，美国东部时间下午 5:30 | ABC
总决赛的重演总是很有趣——尤其是当失利的球队仍然是一个相对较新的团体，他们仍在发展凝聚力（而且他们还增加了一位顶级三分射手汤普森，即使这位前勇士队球星刚刚经历了他最糟糕的一个赛季）。凯尔特人队是一台机器，他们在总决赛中比独行侠队拥有更好的攻防平衡。但东契奇是一位年复一年的 MVP 竞争者，他每个赛季都在变得更好。这是一场不容错过的比赛。 – 克里斯·赫林 (Chris Herring)
丹佛掘金队对阵明尼苏达森林狼队
11 月 1 日，美国东部时间晚上 9:30 | ESPN
在季后赛中发生的所有意外中，可以说没有比森林狼队在客场第七场比赛中令人震惊的逆转——从落后 20 分——击败卫冕冠军掘金队更大的了。你可以想象，丹佛正在期待着他们的复仇机会。但从更基本的层面上来说，观看安东尼·爱德华兹 (Anthony Edwards)（可能是联盟中最具观赏性的球员）与尼古拉·约基奇 (Nikola Jokic)（世界上最好的球员）的对决，就足以令人兴奋了。 – 赫林
奥兰多魔术队对阵克利夫兰骑士队
11 月 1 日，美国东部时间晚上 7 点 | ESPN
这不是最引人注目的季后赛对决，但就首轮系列赛而言，这是最好的一场，也是唯一一场打满五场的比赛。而现在，随着一些季后赛的磨练和两届总冠军肯塔维奥斯·卡德维尔-波普 (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) 的加入，魔术队应该会变得更好，更有经验。同样地，看看骑士队在更换了教练——这是阻止人们对球队核心阵容提出更多尖锐问题的必要举措——之后能否更进一步，也将是一件很有意思的事情，他们最近与多诺万·米切尔 (Donovan Mitchell) 续约。 – 赫林
印第安纳步行者队对阵纽约尼克斯队
10 月 25 日，美国东部时间晚上 7:30 | ESPN
几年前，我们看到了特雷·杨 (Trae Young) 和老鹰队身上发生的事情，毫无疑问，现在泰瑞斯·哈利伯顿 (Tyrese Haliburton) 和步行者队也会发生这种情况。当他们在花园球馆面对尼克斯队时，他们的对决将会被大肆宣传，因为纽约队在上个赛季是如何结束的。从雷吉·米勒 (Reggie Miller) 时代到哈利伯顿在美国队战胜尼克斯队球星贾伦·布伦森 (Jalen Brunson) 入选国家队，这些话题似乎是无穷无尽的。但从根本上说，这两支优秀的球队应该会在刚刚结束的令人印象深刻的赛季基础上更进一步。 – 赫林
备受期待的圣诞大战
圣安东尼奥马刺队对阵纽约尼克斯队
12 月 25 日，美国东部时间中午 12 点 | ESPN
恕我直言，队长贾伦·布伦森和这支新生的尼克斯队固然值得期待，但麦迪逊广场花园球馆午后比赛的焦点将是文班亚马，这必将是他的众多圣诞大战首秀之一。正如他最近在奥运会金牌争夺战中提醒我们
点击查看原文：NBA schedule 2024: Preseason, opening night, Christmas games, more
NBA schedule 2024: Preseason, opening night, Christmas games, more
The NBA schedule for 2024-25 has been unveiled. Which debuts, star showdowns, reunions and playoff rematches are we most excited to watch?
Plenty of stars will don new jerseys next season – most notably Klay Thompson with the Dallas Mavericks, Paul George with the Philadelphia 76ers, Mikal Bridges with the New York Knicks and DeMar DeRozan with the Sacramento Kings – setting up some must-see reunions.
Top rookies will face off, led by No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher vs. No. 2 pick Alex Sarr in October and Donovan Clingan vs. Zach Edey in a rematch of the 2024 NCAA title game in November.
Reigning Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama will look to take the next step in his ascension to NBA superstardom, while 39-year-old LeBron James, fresh off a gold medal in Paris, will embark on his record-tying 22nd season in the league.
Those are just some of the storylines we can’t wait to watch play out in 2024-25. ESPN’s NBA insiders break down the most anticipated games of the upcoming season, including when to watch Wemby, every big revenge game, the five-game Christmas Day slate and key matchups inside both Los Angeles arenas.
Jump to:\
**NBA schedule FAQs | Star-studded openers\
Must-see reunions | Playoff rematches\
Christmas showdowns | LeBron’s biggest games\
Big-time matchups | Schedule for all 30 teams**
NBA schedule FAQs
When does the NBA preseason begin?
The Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets begin training camp on Sept. 24 ahead of two preseason games in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 4 and 6. The rest of the teams start training camp Oct. 1 with preseason games running from Oct. 4 to Oct. 18.
When is NBA opening night?
The NBA regular season begins Oct. 22 with the Celtics hosting the New York Knicks, followed by the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Los Angeles Lakers. All other teams begin their campaigns Oct. 23.
When is the Emirates NBA Cup, also known as the in-season tournament?
The second edition of the tournament sees all 30 NBA teams drawn into six groups of five. Each team will play its opponents once, with group stage games on four Tuesdays (Nov. 12, 19 and 26 and Dec. 3) and three Fridays (Nov. 15, 22 and 29). The knockout stages begin with the quarterfinals Dec. 10 and Dec. 11. The semifinals (Dec. 14) and the championship game (Dec. 17) will be held in Las Vegas.
What is the NBA Christmas games schedule?
There will be five games Dec. 25:
- 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 (10:30 pm. ET)
When and where is the NBA All-Star Game?
The NBA All-Star Game will be Feb. 16 at Chase Center in San Francisco, home of the Golden State Warriors.
When do the NBA playoffs begin?
The regular season concludes April 13, followed by the play-in tournament from April 15 to April 18. The first round of the playoffs begin April 19.
Star-studded first-week matchups
**New York Knicks at Boston Celtics\
Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m. ET | TNT**
The defending champions will celebrate their 2024 championship against perhaps their most likely Eastern Conference finals foe. The Knicks were a win away from facing the Celtics in May, and the addition of Mikal Bridges has bolstered their chances of making a deep playoff run next spring. – Kevin Pelton
**Phoenix Suns at LA Clippers\
Oct. 23, 10 p.m. ET | ESPN**
The Clippers will debut the Intuit Dome and its crowd-friendly design, including “The Wall” designed to be free of visiting fans, against gold medalists Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and the Suns. It’s also our first look at the Clippers without Paul George following his departure for Philadelphia in free agency. – Pelton
**San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks\
Oct. 24, 7:30 p.m. ET | TNT**
Victor Wembanyama begins his second NBA campaign against an opponent who knows something about a Year 2 leap: Luka Doncic, who made All-NBA first team at age 21 a season after winning Rookie of the Year. Coming off a Finals run, the Mavericks will be incorporating summer addition Klay Thompson. – Pelton
Bad blood? Must-see reunions
**Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors\
Nov. 12, 10 p.m. ET | TNT**
This will be the most anticipated revenge game of the season, with Klay Thompson looking to stick it to his old team. While his Golden State legacy is set after forming half of one of the greatest shooting backcourts ever, which helped produce four championships, Thompson was “miserable” and felt “disrespected” over his contract talks in his 13th and final season with the Warriors, sources told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Kendra Andrews. Doncic and Kyrie Irving will be looking to find Thompson early and often as he faces off against Stephen Curry and Draymond Green for the first time, hoping the sharpshooter can challenge his record of 14 3-pointers made in one game against his old team this season. – Ohm Youngmisuk
**Philadelphia 76ers at LA Clippers\
Nov. 6, 10 p.m. ET | ESPN**
Paul George was annoyed that the Clippers were reluctant to give him the same three-year, $150 million extension given to Kawhi Leonard in January. By the time talks resumed, George’s price had gone up. The Clippers, unwilling to give George a max contract or a no-trade clause, let their All-Star guard walk to the 76ers to avoid the dreaded second apron. George – who signed a four-year, $212 million deal with the Sixers – was supposed to open the new Intuit Dome alongside Leonard. Instead, he will be highly motivated to light up Steve Ballmer’s technological wonder on the night after Election Day. In fact, the Clippers play both their regular-season games against PG and the Sixers in the span of 2½ weeks in November. – Youngmisuk
**Sacramento Kings at Chicago Bulls\
Jan. 12, 3:30 p.m. ET**
DeRozan is not only back in his home state of California but he is back on a playoff contending team after joining the Kings in a sign-and-trade. DeRozan spent three seasons averaging 25.5 points in Chicago, but in that span, the Bulls made the postseason just once, losing in the first round. DeRozan will be eager to return to the playoffs for just the third time in seven seasons and show his new team that he’s one of the most clutch players in the NBA. If this game is close at the end, DeRozan will likely remind the Bulls of just that, as well.– Youngmisuk
**Brooklyn Nets at New York Knicks\
Nov. 15, 7:30 p.m. ET**
The Knicks and Nets had not made a trade with each other since 1983 until this summer. When Brooklyn fans see Bridges in a Knicks uniform, they might feel like their franchise has been set back to the early '80s. The Nets received a Brooklyn Bridge-sized haul for the two-way dynamo with four unprotected first-round picks, a top-four protected first-rounder, an unprotected pick swap and a second-round pick in the deal. But none of those future picks will help the Nets at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 15 when they’ll have to watch Bridges and the Nova Knicks, very likely at their expense. – Youngmisuk
Run it back: Big postseason rematches
**Boston Celtics at Dallas Mavericks\
Jan. 25, 5:30 p.m. ET | ABC**
Finals rematches are always intriguing – especially when the losing club is still a relatively new group that’s still developing cohesion (and one that’s adding a premier 3-point shooter in Thompson, even if the ex-Warriors star is coming off one of his worst years from deep). The Celtics are a machine, and they had far better two-way balance than the Mavs in the Finals. But Doncic is a perennial MVP contender who’s only getting better each season. It’s must-see television. – Chris Herring
**Denver Nuggets at Minnesota Timberwolves\
Nov. 1, 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN**
Of all the surprises that took place during the playoffs, arguably none were bigger than Minnesota’s stunning Game 7 comeback on the road – from 20 points down – to take down the then-defending-champion Nuggets. You can imagine that Denver is looking forward to its opportunity for revenge. But on a more basic level, watching Anthony Edwards, perhaps the league’s most entertaining player, square off with Nikola Jokic, the world’s best player, is enough to get excited about. – Herring
**Orlando Magic at Cleveland Cavaliers\
Nov. 1, 7 p.m. ET | ESPN**
It wasn’t the most glamorous postseason matchup, but as far as first-round series went, it was the best, and the only one to go the distance. And now, with some playoff seasoning and the addition of two-time champion Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Magic should be a better, more experienced version of themselves. By the same token, it will be fascinating to see whether the Cavs, who recently locked Donovan Mitchell into an extension, can take a step forward after making a coaching change – a necessary move to stave off more hard questions about the core of the roster. – Herring
**Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks\
Oct. 25, 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN**
We saw it happen with Trae Young and the Hawks a few years back, and it’s a no-brainer that it will happen now with Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers. Their matchup is going to be hyped up when they square off against the Knicks at the Garden because of how New York’s run ended this past season. Between the Reggie Miller era and Haliburton making the Team USA roster over Knicks star Jalen Brunson, the headlines figure to be endless. But at the root, these are two good teams that should improve upon the impressive campaigns they just had. – Herring
Highly anticipated holiday showdowns
**San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks\
Dec. 25, noon ET | ESPN**
With all due respect to captain Jalen Brunson and the Nova Knicks, the marquee attraction in the Madison Square Garden matinee will be Wembanyama making the first of what will surely be many Christmas Day appearances. As he recently reminded us in the Olympic gold medal game, the French phenom fully embraces playing on big stages. – Tim MacMahon
**Minnesota Timberwolves at Dallas Mavericks\
Dec. 25, 2:30 p.m. ET | ABC**
The rematch of last season’s West finals features a Christmas debut by another high-wattage young star, Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards. At 25, Doncic has already earned the status of being a Christmas staple, as this will be the fourth straight year he has played in the league’s annual showcase slate. Doncic had arguably the greatest Christmas performance of all time last season, when he had 50 points, 15 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks in a road win over the Suns. – MacMahon
**Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics\
Dec. 25, 5 p.m. ET | ABC**
Do the 76ers rank as defending champion Celtics’ toughest challengers? Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and prized free agent acquisition Paul George will have a chance to make a statement in the Christmas spotlight. Will Boston have Kristaps Porzingis back by then? – MacMahon
**Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors\
Dec. 25, 8 p.m. ET | ABC**
Only Santa Claus has made more Christmas appearances than LeBron James. He holds the NBA records for Christmas points (476) and appearances (18). Christmas games often haven’t been merry for Stephen Curry. The Warriors are 4-6 in his 10 appearances, and Curry has averaged 15.6 points while shooting 31.7% from the floor and 23.1% from 3-point range. – MacMahon
**Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns\
Dec. 25, 10:30 p.m. ET | ESPN**
The Suns might need owner Mat Ishbia to take a charge again to slow down Jokic. Jokic had 41 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists in an overtime Christmas win over the Suns a couple of years ago. Booker, who left that game early with injury, is the lone Suns starter remaining from that squad. That roster transformation started with the trade for Durant, who ranks behind only James, Kobe Bryant and Oscar Robertson with 315 career points in Christmas games. – MacMahon
LeBron’s 22nd season: Where will the King make history next?
**Bronny’s debut with his father\
Date: TBD**
The NBA will be tipping off its 79th season this fall. Whenever Bronny James steps on the court in a game with LeBron James, the Lakers duo will make history as the first father and son to play together in the eight decades the league has existed. The moment promises to be awe-inspiring, but fleeting. Afterward, the real work will begin for the No. 55 pick in continuing to improve. – Dave McMenamin
**LeBron’s first game at 40 years old\
Cleveland Cavaliers at Los Angeles Lakers\
Dec. 31, 9 p.m. ET**
James has played on his birthday 10 times through his first 21 seasons, and he has been dominant on the occasion, averaging 32.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.9 assists. His teams have gone just 5-5 in those Dec. 30 games, however, sometimes leading to an introspective James taking stock of the season afterward with usually 30 or so games under his belt as the calendar readies to flip to the New Year. – McMenamin
**First visit to Intuit Dome\
Los Angeles Lakers at LA Clippers\
Jan. 19, 9 p.m. ET**
Rich Paul told ESPN years ago that James would never don a Clippers uniform in his career as the woebegone franchise didn’t match his client’s pedigree, but that was before the Clips built what figures to be the most spectacular basketball arena in the world. James might technically be a visitor coming into Intuit as a Laker, but there is no doubt the city of L.A. will be cheering for him to put on a show to christen the new court in its inaugural year. – McMenamin
**Nuggets revenge game\
Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Lakers\
Nov. 23, 10:30 p.m. ET | NBATV**
The Lakers might have won Game 4 of their first-round series against Denver to avoid being swept out of the postseason by Jokic & Co. for the second straight year, but they promptly lost the next game to make it 12 losses in their past 13 games against the Nuggets. While L.A. will be looking to reset the rivalry under new coach JJ Redick, Jokic could have some revenge of his own on his mind after seeing James and Anthony Davis for the first time since Team USA stormed back from 17 down to beat his Serbian squad in their Olympic semifinal. – McMenamin
All-Star showdowns and rookie matchups
**French phenoms rookie showdown\
Washington Wizards at Atlanta Hawks\
Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m. ET**
It may not have the same cachet as some of the recent No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups, but (likely) future French national teammates Risacher and Sarr will first meet in October. The two did square off in summer league – Risacher had 18 points, but Sarr and his Wizards got the win. Both players are going to be out to prove they belong in the league after the constant talk about it being a down year for the top of the draft. – Andrew Lopez
**National championship rematch\
Memphis Grizzlies at Portland Trail Blazers\
Nov. 10, 9 p.m. ET**
The two big men from last season’s NCAA title game will meet for the first time with different expectations for their teams. Edey’s Grizzlies figure to be back in the playoff picture in the Western Conference with Ja Morant back in the fold, while Clingan’s Trail Blazers are projected to be fighting for another lottery pick. While this first meeting won’t have the same stakes for the 7-foot-4 Edey and the 7-foot-2 Clingan, it’s certainly one to watch. – Lopez
**Chet vs. Wemby Year 2\
San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder\
Oct. 30, 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN**
In Wembanyama’s farewell Instagram post to the 2022-23 season, he had pictures of him battling Jokic, blocking Giannis Antetokounmpo, jersey-swapping with fellow French rookie Bilal Coulibaly and … blocking Chet Holmgren. Despite what these two have said publicly, this is going to be a matchup to watch for years to come (maybe even in 2028 at the Olympics). – Lopez
Every team’s full 2024-25 schedule
Atlantic: BOS | BKN | NYK | PHI | TOR\
Central: CHI | CLE | DET | IND | MIL\
Southeast: ATL | CHA | MIA | ORL | WAS\
Pacific: GS | LAC | LAL | PHX | SAC\
Southwest: DAL | HOU | MEM | NO | SA\
Northwest: DEN | MIN | OKC | POR | UTAH
By ESPN, via ESPN