Rivalries, returns and Christmas Day matchups: NBA games you can't miss
The NBA schedule for 2024-25 has been unveiled. Which debuts, star showdowns, reunions and playoff rematches are we most excited to watch?
Plenty of stars will don new jerseys next season — most notably Klay Thompson with the Dallas Mavericks, Paul George with the Philadelphia 76ers, Mikal Bridges with the New York Knicks and DeMar DeRozan with the Sacramento Kings — setting up some must-see reunions.
Top rookies will face off, led by No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher vs. No. 2 pick Alex Sarr in October and Donovan Clingan vs. Zach Edey in a rematch of the 2024 NCAA title game in November.
Reigning Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama will look to take the next step in his ascension to NBA superstardom, while 39-year-old LeBron James, fresh off a gold medal in Paris, will embark on his record-tying 22nd season in the league.
Those are just some of the storylines we can’t wait to watch play out in 2024-25. With the NBA releasing its full schedule on Thursday, ESPN’s NBA insiders are breaking down the most anticipated games of the upcoming season, including when to watch Wemby, every big revenge game, the five-game Christmas Day slate and key matchups inside both Los Angeles arenas.
Star-studded first-week matchups
New York Knicks at Boston Celtics
Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m. ET | TNT
The defending champions will celebrate their 2024 championship against perhaps their most likely Eastern Conference finals foe. The Knicks were a win away from facing the Celtics in May, and the addition of Mikal Bridges has bolstered their chances of making a deep playoff run next spring. — Kevin Pelton
Phoenix Suns at LA Clippers
Oct. 23, 10 p.m. ET | ESPN
The Clippers will debut the Intuit Dome and its crowd-friendly design, including “The Wall” designed to be free of visiting fans, against gold medalists Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and the Suns. It’s also our first look at the Clippers without Paul George following his departure for Philadelphia in free agency. — Pelton
San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks
Oct. 24, 7:30 p.m. ET | TNT
Victor Wembanyama begins his second NBA campaign against an opponent who knows something about a Year 2 leap: Luka Doncic, who made All-NBA first team at age 21 a season after winning Rookie of the Year. Coming off a Finals run, the Mavericks will be incorporating summer addition Klay Thompson. — Pelton
Bad blood? Must-see reunions
Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors
Nov. 12, 10 p.m. ET | TNT
This will be the most anticipated revenge game of the season, with Klay Thompson looking to stick it to his old team. While his Golden State legacy is set after forming half of one of the greatest shooting backcourts ever, which helped produce four championships, Thompson was “miserable” and felt “disrespected” over his contract talks in his 13th and final season with the Warriors, sources told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Kendra Andrews. Doncic and Kyrie Irving will be looking to find Thompson early and often as he faces off against Stephen Curry and Draymond Green for the first time, hoping the sharpshooter can challenge his record of 14 3-pointers made in one game against his old team this season. — Ohm Youngmisuk
Philadelphia 76ers at LA Clippers
Nov. 6, 10 p.m. ET | ESPN
Paul George was annoyed that the Clippers were reluctant to give him the same three-year, $150 million extension given to Kawhi Leonard in January. By the time talks resumed, George’s price had gone up. The Clippers, unwilling to give George a max contract or a no-trade clause, let their All-Star guard walk to the 76ers to avoid the dreaded second apron. George — who signed a four-year, $212 million deal with the Sixers — was supposed to open the new Intuit Dome alongside Leonard. Instead, he will be highly motivated to light up Steve Ballmer’s technological wonder on the night after Election Day. In fact, the Clippers play both their regular-season games against PG and the Sixers in the span of 2½ weeks in November. — Youngmisuk
Sacramento Kings at Chicago Bulls
Jan. 12, 3:30 p.m. ET
DeRozan is not only back in his home state of California but he is back on a playoff contending team after joining the Kings in a sign-and-trade. DeRozan spent three seasons averaging 25.5 points in Chicago, but in that span, the Bulls made the postseason just once, losing in the first round. DeRozan will be eager to return to the playoffs for just the third time in seven seasons and show his new team that he’s one of the most clutch players in the NBA. If this game is close at the end, DeRozan will likely remind the Bulls of just that, as well.— Youngmisuk
Brooklyn Nets at New York Knicks
Nov. 15, 7:30 p.m. ET
The Knicks and Nets had not made a trade with each other since 1983 until this summer. When Brooklyn fans see Bridges in a Knicks uniform, they might feel like their franchise has been set back to the early ’80s. The Nets received a Brooklyn Bridge-sized haul for the two-way dynamo with four unprotected first-round picks, a top-four protected first-rounder, an unprotected pick swap and a second-round pick in the deal. But none of those future picks will help the Nets at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 15 when they’ll have to watch Bridges and the Nova Knicks, very likely at their expense. — Youngmisuk
Run it back: Big postseason rematches
Boston Celtics at Dallas Mavericks
Jan. 25, 5:30 p.m. ET | ABC
Finals rematches are always intriguing — especially when the losing club is still a relatively new group that’s still developing cohesion (and one that’s adding a premier 3-point shooter in Thompson, even if the ex-Warriors star is coming off one of his worst years from deep). The Celtics are a machine, and they had far better two-way balance than the Mavs in the Finals. But Doncic is a perennial MVP contender who’s only getting better each season. It’s must-see television. — Chris Herring
Denver Nuggets at Minnesota Timberwolves
Nov. 1, 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN
Of all the surprises that took place during the playoffs, arguably none were bigger than Minnesota’s stunning Game 7 comeback on the road — from 20 points down — to take down the then-defending-champion Nuggets. You can imagine that Denver is looking forward to its opportunity for revenge. But on a more basic level, watching Anthony Edwards, perhaps the league’s most entertaining player, square off with Nikola Jokic, the world’s best player, is enough to get excited about. — Herring
Orlando Magic at Cleveland Cavaliers
Nov. 1, 7 p.m. ET | ESPN
It wasn’t the most glamorous postseason matchup, but as far as first-round series went, it was the best, and the only one to go the distance. And now, with some playoff seasoning and the addition of two-time champion Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Magic should be a better, more experienced version of themselves. By the same token, it will be fascinating to see whether the Cavs, who recently locked Donovan Mitchell into an extension, can take a step forward after making a coaching change — a necessary move to stave off more hard questions about the core of the roster. — Herring
Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks
Oct. 25, 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN
We saw it happen with Trae Young and the Hawks a few years back, and it’s a no-brainer that it will happen now with Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers. Their matchup is going to be hyped up when they square off against the Knicks at the Garden because of how New York’s run ended this past season. Between the Reggie Miller era and Haliburton making the Team USA roster over Knicks star Jalen Brunson, the headlines figure to be endless. But at the root, these are two good teams that should improve upon the impressive campaigns they just had. — Herring
Highly anticipated holiday showdowns
San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks
Dec. 25, noon ET | ESPN
With all due respect to captain Jalen Brunson and the Nova Knicks, the marquee attraction in the Madison Square Garden matinee will be Wembanyama making the first of what will surely be many Christmas Day appearances. As he recently reminded us in the Olympic gold medal game, the French phenom fully embraces playing on big stages. — Tim MacMahon
Minnesota Timberwolves at Dallas Mavericks
Dec. 25, 2:30 p.m. ET | ABC
The rematch of last season’s West finals features a Christmas debut by another high-wattage young star, Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards. At 25, Doncic has already earned the status of being a Christmas staple, as this will be the fourth straight year he has played in the league’s annual showcase slate. Doncic had arguably the greatest Christmas performance of all time last season, when he had 50 points, 15 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks in a road win over the Suns. — MacMahon
Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics
Dec. 25, 5 p.m. ET | ABC
Do the 76ers rank as defending champion Celtics’ toughest challengers? Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and prized free agent acquisition Paul George will have a chance to make a statement in the Christmas spotlight. Will Boston have Kristaps Porzingis back by then? — MacMahon
Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors
Dec. 25, 8 p.m. ET | ABC
Only Santa Claus has made more Christmas appearances than LeBron James. He holds the NBA records for Christmas points (476) and appearances (18). Christmas games often haven’t been merry for Stephen Curry. The Warriors are 4-6 in his 10 appearances, and Curry has averaged 15.6 points while shooting 31.7% from the floor and 23.1% from 3-point range. — MacMahon
Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns
Dec. 25, 10:30 p.m. ET | ESPN
The Suns might need owner Mat Ishbia to take a charge again to slow down Jokic. Jokic had 41 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists in an overtime Christmas win over the Suns a couple of years ago. Booker, who left that game early with injury, is the lone Suns starter remaining from that squad. That roster transformation started with the trade for Durant, who ranks behind only James, Kobe Bryant and Oscar Robertson with 315 career points in Christmas games. — MacMahon
LeBron’s 22nd season: Where will the King make history next?
Bronny’s debut with his father
Date: TBD
The NBA will be tipping off its 79th season this fall. Whenever Bronny James steps on the court in a game with LeBron James, the Lakers duo will make history as the first father and son to play together in the eight decades the league has existed. The moment promises to be awe-inspiring, but fleeting. Afterward, the real work will begin for the No. 55 pick in continuing to improve. — Dave McMenamin
LeBron’s first game at 40 years old
Cleveland Cavaliers at Los Angeles Lakers
Dec. 31, 9 p.m. ET
James has played on his birthday 10 times through his first 21 seasons, and he has been dominant on the occasion, averaging 32.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.9 assists. His teams have gone just 5-5 in those Dec. 30 games, however, sometimes leading to an introspective James taking stock of the season afterward with usually 30 or so games under his belt as the calendar readies to flip to the New Year. — McMenamin
First visit to Intuit Dome
Los Angeles Lakers at LA Clippers
Jan. 19, 9 p.m. ET
Rich Paul told ESPN years ago that James would never don a Clippers uniform in his career as the woebegone franchise didn’t match his client’s pedigree, but that was before the Clips built what figures to be the most spectacular basketball arena in the world. James might technically be a visitor coming into Intuit as a Laker, but there is no doubt the city of L.A. will be cheering for him to put on a show to christen the new court in its inaugural year. — McMenamin
Nuggets revenge game
Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Lakers
Nov. 23, 10:30 p.m. ET | NBATV
The Lakers might have won Game 4 of their first-round series against Denver to avoid being swept out of the postseason by Jokic & Co. for the second straight year, but they promptly lost the next game to make it 12 losses in their past 13 games against the Nuggets. While L.A. will be looking to reset the rivalry under new coach JJ Redick, Jokic could have some revenge of his own on his mind after seeing James and Anthony Davis for the first time since Team USA stormed back from 17 down to beat his Serbian squad in their Olympic semifinal. — McMenamin
All-Star showdowns and rookie matchups
French phenoms rookie showdown
Washington Wizards at Atlanta Hawks
Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m. ET
It may not have the same cachet as some of the recent No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups, but (likely) future French national teammates Risacher and Sarr will first meet in October. The two did square off in summer league — Risacher had 18 points, but Sarr and his Wizards got the win. Both players are going to be out to prove they belong in the league after the constant talk about it being a down year for the top of the draft. — Andrew Lopez
National championship rematch
Memphis Grizzlies at Portland Trail Blazers
Nov. 10, 9 p.m. ET
The two big men from last season’s NCAA title game will meet for the first time with different expectations for their teams. Edey’s Grizzlies figure to be back in the playoff picture in the Western Conference with Ja Morant back in the fold, while Clingan’s Trail Blazers are projected to be fighting for another lottery pick. While this first meeting won’t have the same stakes for the 7-foot-4 Edey and the 7-foot-2 Clingan, it’s certainly one to watch. — Lopez
Chet vs. Wemby Year 2
San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder
Oct. 30, 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN
In Wembanyama’s farewell Instagram post to the 2022-23 season, he had pictures of him battling Jokic, blocking Giannis Antetokounmpo, jersey-swapping with fellow French rookie Bilal Coulibaly and … blocking Chet Holmgren. Despite what these two have said publicly, this is going to be a matchup to watch for years to come (maybe even in 2028 at the Olympics). — Lopez
Every team’s full 2024-25 schedule
Atlantic: BOS | BKN | NYK | PHI | TOR
Central: CHI | CLE | DET | IND | MIL
Southeast: ATL | CHA | MIA | ORL | WAS
Pacific: GS | LAC | LAL | PHX | SAC
Southwest: DAL | HOU | MEM | NO | SA
Northwest: DEN | MIN | OKC | POR | UTAH
