The New York Knicks will raise their championship banner on NBA's opening night on Oct. 20, as they face LeBron James and his debut with the Philadelphia 76ers (7 p.m. ET), the NBA announced Tuesday.
The Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons open the tripleheader on NBC in a rare matinee (3 p.m. ET), while the Oklahoma City Thunder play the San Antonio Spurs (9:30 ET) to close it out in a West finals rematch.
The new-look 76ers, transformed by the offseason acquisitions of James, 41, and Jaylen Brown, suffered a 4-0 sweep last season to the Knicks last in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Meanwhile, the Spurs knocked off Oklahoma City in seven games in the Western Conference finals on the Thunder's home floor.
The Celtics suffered a first-round playoff exit last season, while the Pistons advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
A pair of doubleheaders on ESPN highlight opening week, including Giannis Antetokounmpo making his debut with the Miami Heat, against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 21. The Golden State Warriors also play at the Los Angeles Lakers that day, with the Cleveland Cavaliers at 76ers and Nuggets at Thunder on Oct. 22.
Two more games to air Oct. 23 on Prime Video were also announced, Knicks at Celtics (7 p.m. ET) and Houston Rockets at Spurs (9:30 p.m.). The Rockets-Spurs game will be played at the Moody Center in Austin.
The Christmas Day schedule was also announced, with five games on ABC and ESPN, including James facing his former Lakers team. Other matchups include: Spurs vs. Knicks, Heat vs. Celtics, Thunder vs. Wolves, and Denver Nuggets vs. Warriors.
The Knicks will be playing their NBA-record 59th Christmas game, following a tradition that started in 1947 with the league's first Christmas matchup at Madison Square Garden. New York last hosted San Antonio on Christmas in 2024, and Victor Wembanyama -- in his Christmas debut -- set a Spurs record for points (42) on the holiday, adding 18 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots in a loss fueled by a 41-point effort from Mikal Bridges.
James would be making his 21st Christmas appearance in his record 24th NBA season.
Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards will be playing in his third Christmas Day game while Lakers star Luka Doncic will be making his sixth appearance on the holiday.
The full schedule will be released Thursday.