NBA Schedule 2023-24: League Releases Official Regular-Season Slate
The Denver Nuggets will collect their championship rings October 24 on TNT as they help to raise the curtain on the 2023-24 NBA season.
Denver will host LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers at Ball Arena, while the Golden State Warriors will host the Phoenix Suns to cap off the opening-night doubleheader.
Here are the important dates to keep in mind for the year ahead and each team's regular-season slate following Thursday's schedule release.
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Oct. 24: Start of Regular Season
Nov. 3: NBA In-Season Tournament begins
Dec. 7: NBA In-Season Tournament Semifinals
Dec. 9: NBA In-Season Tournament Final
Feb. 16-18: All-Star Weekend
April 14: Regular Season Ends
Eastern Conference Schedules
Atlantic Division
Central Division
Southeast Division
Western Conference Schedules
Southwest Division
Northwest Division
Pacific Division
It will be a few years before the full weight of the new collective bargaining agreement takes effect, but the league already seems to be achieving the increased parity NBA Commissioner Adam Silver sought to bring.
The Nuggets won their first championship last year, and they played an opponent in the 2023 NBA Finals that had to navigate its way through the play-in tournament before qualifying for the playoffs.
Looking to the year ahead, there isn't a clear championship favorite that's head and shoulders above the rest of the field.
Denver's repeat bid took a hit after Bruce Brown left to sign with the Indiana Pacers. Brown was a valuable role player who averaged 12 points and four rebounds per game in the 2023 postseason, and the Nuggets lacked the salary-cap space to sign a replacement of similar value.
When it comes to the Nuggets' biggest threats, you can point to at least one glaring flaw or question mark.
The Phoenix Suns are even more top-heavy after acquiring Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards. Chris Paul's departure also leaves them without a natural point guard in the starting lineup.
Adding Kristaps Porziņģis gives the Boston Celtics another scoring and long-range shooting threat, but the 2017-18 All-Star carries plenty of injury risk. The 7'3" big man doesn't necessarily address the lack of playmaking in the half court that has been problematic for Boston in the playoffs, either.
The Milwaukee Bucks have had steadily diminishing postseason returns after winning the 2021 Finals. Maybe replacing head coach Mike Budenholzer with Adrian Griffin will pay off in a big way next spring.
Assuming they eventually land Damian Lillard, the Miami Heat could make a third Finals trip in five seasons. Working a star of Lillard's level into the rotation can be easier said than done, though, and the departures of Gabe Vincent and Max Strus shouldn't be overlooked in terms of the depth they provided.
Fans have debated for years whether the NBA regular season matters that much anymore. Creating the new in-season tournament is clearly an effort by the league to raise the stakes a bit.
One thing is clear, though: The 2023-24 regular season won't be lacking for compelling storylines.
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