The opening night of the 2023-24 NBA season will feature quite the cast of star power. The Los Angeles Lakers will travel to Ball Arena for a Western Conference Finals rematch with the Denver Nuggets as Nikola Jokic and company collect their championship rings, while the Phoenix Suns welcome the Golden State Warriors to town, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
JUST IN: Opening Night schedule for the 2023-24 NBA season Oct. 24 on TNT, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium:
– Los Angeles Lakers @ Denver Nuggets
– Phoenix Suns @ Golden State Warriors— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 10, 2023
The Nuggets swept the Lakers en route to their first NBA championship in the spring, though three of the four games came down to the wire and were decided by six points or fewer. That figures to be a rather enjoyable contest to begin eight months of NBA action. Then, Chris Paul and Kevin Durant will face their former teams. After three seasons with the Suns, Paul was dealt to the Washington Wizards in the Bradley Beal trade before being rerouted to Golden State this summer. Alongside Devin Booker, Durant, who spent two years with the Warriors and won a pair of rings, is leading a retooled Phoenix squad flanked by Beal that holds lofty championship aspirations. Much like Denver last season, Durant, Booker, and the Suns are looking to secure the franchise’s first Larry O’Brien Trophy.
The NBA’s opening night is consistently a fascinating and fun evening of hoops. Two games including Durant, Booker, Paul, Beal, Jokic, Jamal Murray, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis surely project to continue that tradition, particularly given the title hopes all four Western Conference clubs hold.