NBA Schedule 2017-18: League Releases Opening-Week and Christmas Day Games

The NBA on Thursday announced its national television broadcast schedule for the opening week of the 2017-18 season as well as this year's full slate of Christmas Day games. 

The new campaign tips off Tuesday, Oct. 17, on TNT with a doubleheader featuring the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers (8 p.m. ET) in an Eastern Conference Finals rematch at Quicken Loans Arena before Chris Paul, James Harden and the Houston Rockets square off against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena (10:30 p.m. ET).  

Opening week continues Oct. 19 on TNT. The New York Knicks will headline the evening's early action when they meet the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena (8 p.m. ET)—a matchup that precedes Lonzo Ball's Hollywood debut in an intracity tilt between the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers (10:30 p.m. ET). 

The NBA's annual Christmas Day spectacular will begin at 12 p.m. ET (ESPN) when the Knicks host the Philadelphia 76ers in an Atlantic Division duel at Madison Square Garden. 

That meeting will be followed by the Cavaliers and Warriors at Oracle Arena (3 p.m. ET, ABC) and Washington Wizards at Celtics (5:30 p.m. ET, ABC). The Rockets will then meet the Thunder in Oklahoma City in the night's penultimate game at 8 p.m. ET (ABC). 

Holiday festivities conclude on the West Coast when the new-look Minnesota Timberwolves travel to Staples Center for a clash with the Lakers on TNT at 10:30 p.m. ET. 

The NBA also announced several other opening-week tilts. 

On Oct. 18, the action will shift from TNT to ESPN, with Markelle Fultz and Ben Simmons slated to make their NBA debuts in the nation's capital against the Wizards (7 p.m. ET).

The San Antonio Spurs will then open their Southwest Division title defense at AT&T Center against the Timberwolves (9:30 p.m. ET) in the nightcap. 

Two days later, ESPN will play home to showdowns between the Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks (7 p.m. ET), and Warriors and New Orleans Pelicans (9:30 p.m. ET). 

The NBA has yet to confirm when its complete 2017-18 schedule will be released, but USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt reported Wednesday he's "hearing" it could drop as soon as Monday, Aug. 14, or Tuesday, Aug. 15.