NBA Schedule 2024-25: League Releases Official Regular-Season Slate
The Boston Celtics will raise their championship banner on Oct. 22 when they host the New York Knicks in the first game of the 2024-25 NBA season.
The league announced the full regular-season schedule on Thursday, headlined by an opening-day doubleheader. After the Knicks-Celtics matchup, Anthony Edwards will square off with his 2024 Olympic teammates LeBron James and Anthony Davis when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second game.
Here are other key dates for the 2024-25 season to keep in mind for your short- and long-term planning needs.
Oct. 22: Start of the regular season
Nov. 12: Emirates NBA Cup begins
Dec. 14: NBA Cup semifinals
Dec. 17: NBA Cup championship
Feb. 6: NBA trade deadline (3 p.m. ET)
Feb. 14-16: All-Star Weekend
April 13: Final day of regular season
April 15-18: NBA Play-In Tournament
April 19: NBA Playoffs begin
Eastern Conference Schedules
Atlantic Division
Central Division
Southeast Division
Western Conference Schedules
Southwest Division
Northwest Division
Pacific Division
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Arguably the biggest storyline coming out of the offseason was teams maneuvering around the new apron restrictions imposed by the collective bargaining agreement.
The Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets lost key players in free agency in part to avoid the second apron. The Clippers' decision to lowball Paul George in contract talks turned into a huge gain for the Philadelphia 76ers, as they landed the nine-time All-Star to play with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
Philly needed to make a big splash because it will be chasing the Celtics and New York Knicks, who added Mikal Bridges to a loaded roster, in the Eastern Conference hierarchy.
Boston's roster remains arguably the best in the NBA, but the reigning champs will be without Kristaps Porziņģis at the start of the season after he had surgery in June to repair a leg injury that limited his availability in the Finals.
The Western Conference looks like a gauntlet with at least 12 teams capable of making the playoffs, with the possibility that group could go 13 deep if you believe Victor Wembanyama is going to enter the MVP conversation for the San Antonio Spurs in his second season.
After a surprise run to the NBA Finals last season, the Dallas Mavericks added Klay Thompson to play with Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving. Even if there are some questions about how that trio will hold up on defense, opposing teams will have all sorts of problems keeping their scoring in check.
Rather than sit back following Thompson's departure, the Golden State Warriors took some swings in free agency they hope will improve the overall quality of their roster. Kyle Anderson, Buddy Hield and De'Anthony Melton make for a better fit around Stephen Curry and Draymond Green than what head coach Steve Kerr had last season as long as they can stay healthy.
Thompson will make his first visit to Chase Center as a visiting player when the Mavs play the Warriors on Nov. 12.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, who were the No. 1 seed in the West, undoubtedly get better by acquiring Alex Caruso and signing Isaiah Hartenstein. Their starting five could feature Caruso, Hartenstein, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.
By the way, James is still with the Lakers and will have a chance to fulfill his longstanding dream of playing with his son, Bronny James, in an NBA game. They will be coached by James' former podcast partner JJ Redick in his first stint as a head coach.
As is customary for the NBA, there are countless compelling storylines that will be tracked over the course of all 1,230 regular-season games.
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