NBA unveils schedule for 2024-25 season
Check out the full regular-season schedule for all 30 teams.
Updated on August 20, 2024 10:56 AM
The defending champion Celtics will host the Knicks to tip off the 2024-25 NBA season on Oct. 22.
The NBA has released its full schedule for the NBA 2024-25 season.
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
NEW YORK – The NBA today released its complete game schedule and broadcast schedules for TNT, ESPN, ABC, NBA TV and ESPN Radio for the 2024-25 regular season. The day-by-day and team-by-team schedules are attached and available at NBA.com/schedule. Fans can purchase tickets to games at NBATickets.com.
The 79th NBA regular season will tip off on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, and conclude on Sunday, April 13, 2025. The SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament 2025 will take place from Tuesday, April 15 – Friday, April 18, followed by the start of the NBA Playoffs 2025 presented by Google Pixel on Saturday, April 19. Game 1 of the NBA Finals 2025 presented by YouTube TV is set for Thursday, June 5.
The regular-season schedule includes defined dates and opponents for 80 of each team’s 82 games, along with two games designated as TBD dates and opponents. Those two games for each team, to be played Dec. 10-16, will be determined based on the results of Group Play games in the Emirates NBA Cup 2024. The Group Play schedule, which comprises 60 games that will be played on Tuesdays and Fridays from Nov. 12 – Dec. 3, was announced on Aug. 13.
Kia NBA Tip-Off 2024
The first five days of the 2024-25 NBA regular season (Oct. 22-26) will feature 11 national television games as part of Kia NBA Tip-Off 2024, with two doubleheaders each on TNT and ESPN and a tripleheader on NBA TV.
The regular season will begin on Tuesday, Oct. 22 with a doubleheader on TNT. In the first game, the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics will receive their championship rings and unveil their record 18th championship banner before hosting the New York Knicks in a matchup of last season’s top two playoff seeds in the Eastern Conference (7:30 p.m. ET). In the second game, the Minnesota Timberwolves – coming off the second-best regular season in franchise history and their first Western Conference Finals appearance in 20 years – will visit the Los Angeles Lakers as NBA all-time scoring leader LeBron James of the Lakers starts his record-tying 22nd NBA regular season (10 p.m. ET).
ESPN’s doubleheader on Wednesday, Oct. 23 will tip off with nine-time NBA All-Star Paul George making his regular-season debut with the Philadelphia 76ers as they host the Milwaukee Bucks, who defeated Philadelphia 118-117 in the 2023-24 regular-season opener for both teams (7:30 p.m. ET). Then, the LA Clippers will play their first regular-season game at their new home arena, Intuit Dome, when they take on the Phoenix Suns (10 p.m. ET).
In TNT’s doubleheader on Thursday, Oct. 24, the defending Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks will open with a home game against the San Antonio Spurs as five-time NBA All-Star Klay Thompson plays his first regular-season game with the Mavericks and 12-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul begins his 20th NBA season and makes his regular-season debut with the Spurs (7:30 p.m. ET). Next, last season’s top two playoff seeds in the Western Conference and top two players in the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award voting will square off when reigning MVP Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets host 2023-24 MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder (10 p.m. ET).
On Friday, Oct. 25, ESPN’s second doubleheader of Kia NBA Tip-Off 2024 will have a rematch of last season’s seven-game Eastern Conference Semifinals series between the Knicks and Indiana Pacers in New York (7:30 p.m. ET), followed by the Suns visiting the Lakers (10 p.m. ET).
NBA TV will begin its live game coverage of the new season with three games on Saturday, Oct. 26: Clippers at Nuggets (5 p.m. ET), Orlando Magic at Memphis Grizzlies (8 p.m. ET) and Sacramento Kings at Lakers (10:30 p.m. ET).
Christmas Day
The NBA will feature five games on Christmas Day (Wednesday, Dec. 25) for the 17th year in a row, with ESPN platforms televising each matchup. The 77th edition of the NBA on Christmas Day will tip off on ESPN as the Spurs face the Knicks in New York in a first-time matchup on Christmas Day (noon ET).
The second game will also be a first-time matchup on Christmas Day as last season’s Western Conference Finals participants go head-to-head when the Timberwolves visit the Mavericks on both ABC and ESPN (2:30 p.m. ET). On Christmas Day last year, Dallas guard Luka Dončić became the first player in NBA history to have at least 50 points, 15 assists, six rebounds, four steals and three blocks in a game since steals and blocks were first recorded in the 1973-74 season.
ABC and ESPN will also air the next two games as the Celtics host the 76ers (5 p.m. ET) and the Lakers visit the Warriors (8 p.m. ET), marking the first scheduled matchups of the season for both division rivalries. The Christmas Day schedule will conclude on ESPN when the Suns host the Nuggets (10:30 p.m. ET). When the teams met on Christmas Day in 2022 in Denver, the Nuggets defeated the Suns 128-125 in overtime behind 41 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists from Jokić – the fourth 40/15/15 performance in a game in NBA history.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
On Monday, Jan. 20, the NBA family will celebrate one of its most important traditions by honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The celebration will include three nationally televised games.
In a TNT doubleheader, Memphis will host Minnesota (2:30 p.m. ET) and Boston will meet Golden State in San Francisco in a rematch of the NBA Finals 2022 (5 p.m. ET). Prior to those matchups, Dallas will visit the Charlotte Hornets on NBA TV (noon ET).
NBA Rivals Week
Classic and budding rivalries between teams and players will take center stage for the third annual NBA Rivals Week in January. Rivalries will be the focus of 10 nationally televised games across four networks (TNT, ESPN, ABC and NBA TV) over five days from Tuesday, Jan. 21 – Saturday, Jan. 25.
NBA Rivals Week will culminate with three games on ABC on Jan. 25, highlighted by Dallas hosting the first matchup between the Mavericks and Celtics since the NBA Finals 2024 (5:30 p.m. ET). The tripleheader will begin with a Western Conference Semifinals 2024 rematch between the Timberwolves and Nuggets in Minnesota (3 p.m. ET) and conclude with the Lakers visiting the Warriors (8:30 p.m. ET).
The complete game and broadcast schedule for NBA Rivals Week is available here.
Election Day
For the third consecutive season, no NBA games have been scheduled for Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 5) as the league will continue to encourage fans and the broader NBA community to make a plan to vote and participate in the civic process. As part of this initiative, the NBA will share important resources from voting organizations and highlight the civic engagement work of teams in their markets.
All 30 NBA teams will be in action on the day before Election Day (Monday, Nov. 4). The first game of the night will tip off at 7 p.m. ET, and all subsequent matchups will begin 15 minutes apart.
Final Week of Regular Season
Like last season, all 30 NBA teams will play on the third-to-last day (Friday, April 11) and the final day (Sunday, April 13) of the regular season, and no games have been scheduled for the second-to-last day (Saturday, April 12).
On April 13, in an effort to maximize competitive fairness, the seven games between Eastern Conference teams will begin at 1 p.m. ET, and the seven games between Western Conference teams and the one cross-conference game will start at 3:30 p.m. ET. ESPN will televise a doubleheader, with the matchups to be determined at a later date.
NBA Global Games
NBA TV will televise both The NBA Mexico City Game 2024 between the Miami Heat and Washington Wizards on Saturday, Nov. 2 (9:30 p.m. ET) and the opener of The NBA Paris Games 2025 between Indiana and San Antonio on Thursday, Jan. 23 (2 p.m. ET). The Pacers and Spurs will also meet on Saturday, Jan. 25 in their second and final game in Paris, airing on ESPN (noon ET).
More National Television Matchups
• ESPN’s doubleheader on Friday, Nov. 1 will feature two rematches of seven-game playoff series from last season: Orlando at Cleveland Cavaliers (7 p.m. ET) and Denver at Minnesota (9:30 p.m. ET).
• The 76ers’ George, who played the previous five seasons with the Clippers, will visit his former team on Wednesday, Nov. 6 on ESPN (10 p.m. ET).
• As previously announced, the Mavericks’ Thompson, who won four NBA championships and spent 13 seasons with the Warriors, will return to Chase Center to play against Golden State for the first time when the teams meet in an Emirates NBA Cup Group Play game on Tuesday, Nov. 12 on TNT (10 p.m. ET).
• 2023-24 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs and rookie forward Zaccharie Risacher of the Atlanta Hawks – both natives of France and the two most recent No. 1 overall picks in the NBA Draft – will face each other on Thursday, Dec. 19 in San Antonio (9:30 p.m. ET; TNT) and on Wednesday, Feb. 5 in Atlanta (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN).
• The Nuggets and Celtics – the two most recent NBA champions – will square off on Tuesday, Jan. 7 in Denver (10 p.m. ET; TNT) and on Sunday, March 2 in Boston (1 p.m. ET; ABC).
• In addition to meeting on Jan. 25 in Dallas during ABC’s NBA Rivals Week tripleheader, the Celtics and Mavericks will also have an NBA Finals rematch on Thursday, Feb. 6 in Boston on TNT (7:30 p.m. ET).
• Leading into NBA All-Star 2025, TNT will feature a single game on Thursday, Feb. 13, with the Thunder visiting the Timberwolves (8:30 p.m. ET).
• On Thursday, Feb. 20, TNT will present San Antonio’s home game against Phoenix at the Moody Center on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin, where 14-time NBA All-Star Kevin Durant of the Suns was a college standout with the Longhorns (9:30 p.m. ET).
Additional Schedule Highlights
• All 30 teams are scheduled to make at least one appearance on TNT or ESPN in the 2024-25 regular season. The NBA on TNT, ESPN, ABC and NBA TV will present flexible scheduling throughout the regular season to provide the most compelling matchups to a national audience.
• Primetime weeknight doubleheaders across TNT (Tuesdays and Thursdays) and ESPN (Wednesdays and Fridays) will be played at 7 p.m. ET/9:30 p.m. ET or 7:30 p.m. ET/10 p.m. ET.
• ABC will televise 17 games as part of its two weekend series, NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC (which tips off with the Jan. 25 tripleheader during NBA Rivals Week) and NBA Sunday Showcase (which begins with 76ers at Bucks on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 2 p.m. ET).
• NBA TV will feature Center Court throughout the season, the network’s marquee night of programming, which incorporates enhanced viewing options into an originally produced telecast. In the season debut of the franchise, Milwaukee will visit Boston on Monday, Oct. 28 (7:30 p.m. ET).
• ESPN Radio will broadcast 26 games in the regular season, including Celtics vs. Knicks on opening night and Knicks vs. Spurs and Mavericks vs. Timberwolves on Christmas Day.
• NBA League Pass will offer live, out-of-market games all season through the NBA App, NBA.com, connected televisions and TV providers. Fans can unlock direct access to stream matchups featuring their favorite teams and players with NBA League Pass (blackout restrictions apply). For more information, visit NBA.com/leaguepass.
• The regular season will feature 45 games that will air in primetime in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
• The NBA Finals 2025 presented by YouTube TV and the Western Conference Finals 2025 will be exclusively televised by ABC and ESPN/ABC, respectively. TNT will exclusively air the Eastern Conference Finals 2025 and the NBA All-Star Game 2025, which will be played on Sunday, Feb. 16 at Chase Center in San Francisco.
• NBA games and programming are available in 214 countries and territories in 60 languages.
Team-By-Team Schedules
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
• Complete list of games
• Emirates NBA Cup games
• National TV games
• NBA TV games
• League Pass games
Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
