2023-24 NBA schedule release: Lakers visit Nuggets on opening night, Warriors visit champs on Christmas Day

The complete 2023-24 NBA schedule will probably be launched subsequent week, however we already know the opening evening and Christmas Day slates. On Oct. 24, the season will start with the protecting champion Denver Nuggets web hosting the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors web hosting the Phoenix Suns, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The NBA’s Dec. 25 show off will characteristic 5 video games, per The Athletic: New York Knicks vs. Milwaukee Bucks, Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers, Lakers vs. Celtics, Suns vs. Dallas Mavericks, Nuggets vs. Warriors.

More early notes on the schedule: 

Opening evening

• The champs gets their rings ahead of a rematch of the 2023 Western Conference finals, wherein Denver swept the Lakers and left James and Anthony Davis agreeing that the Nuggets had been probably the best team they had played in opposition to of their 4 years in combination. 
• As neatly as being Chris Paul’s first assembly with Phoenix because it traded him to Golden State, the Suns-Warriors recreation will probably be Durant’s first at Chase Center with enthusiasts in attendance. The enviornment opened after Durant left Golden State, and he has been injured for all of his visits since, with the exception of for a recreation on Feb. 13, 2021, wherein no tickets had been offered on account of pandemic restrictions.

Christmas Day

• This would be the first time since 2008 that the Lakers and Celtics face off on Christmas. This can also be the Warriors’ eleventh consecutive yr taking part in on Christmas and James’ seventeenth consecutive yr taking part in on Christmas. Last yr, James changed into the primary participant in NBA historical past to look in 17 general Christmas video games.
• Denver vs. Golden State is scheduled for two:30 p.m. ET on ABC, adopted through Los Angeles vs. Boston at 5 p.m. on ABC and Miami vs. Philadelphia at 8 p.m. on ESPN, according to the Miami Herald. This most likely signifies that New York vs. Milwaukee will start at midday and Phoenix vs. Dallas will start at 10:30 p.m.

In-season event

• The first in-season event will start on Nov. 3 with the primary of 7 event nights. The crew level will proceed on Nov. 10, Nov. 14, Nov. 17, Nov. 21, Nov. 24, and Nov. 28 (i.e. each Tuesday and Friday that month, excluding Nov. 7, which is Election Day.) 
• Six crew winners and two wild playing cards will advance to the knockout level — the quarterfinals will probably be performed on Dec. 4 and Dec. 5, with the upper seed having home-court merit, and the 4 winners will advance to Las Vegas, the place the semifinals will probably be performed on Dec. 7 and the championship recreation will probably be performed on Dec. 9.
• The tournament-night schedule will probably be launched on Tuesday. ESPN will reveal it on “NBA Today” at 3 p.m. ET.

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