The NBA schedule has been released (almost) in full, as we still await how the league will schedule the week around the NBA Cup quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals. Aside from those two games, every team knows when and where they’ll be playing this season, and as fans we can start circling our calendars for the biggest games on the schedule.
Here, I wanted to take a look from a national perspective at the biggest games in each month, picking five games each from October to April on the NBA schedule that stood out upon first glance. Some will be battles between top teams, others will be chasing playoff and Play-In berths, and some are simply star battles that always bring intrigue.
October
Oct. 22: Knicks-Celtics (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
First game of the regular season. Ring night for Boston. First chance to see the Knicks with Mikal Bridges. This one’s an easy one.
Oct. 23: Bucks-Sixers (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
The next night we get a chance to look at the other two hopeful top contenders in the East, as Paul George makes his debut in Philly, while Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo and company will look to spoil the party and remind everyone they belong in the conversation in the East as well.
Oct. 24: Thunder-Nuggets (10:00 p.m. ET, TNT)
The Thunder were last year’s No. 1 seed in the West and look like they’re better this year. Denver, it seems, got worse, but they still have Nikola Jokic and this might be a good litmus test for exactly what level the Nuggets can still operate at.
Oct. 29: Mavs-Wolves (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
Our first rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals will come in the second week of the season in Minnesota, as the Wolves get a chance to exact a touch of revenge against the Mavs.
Oct. 30: Magic-Grizzlies (8:00 p.m. ET, NBATV)
This one’s a bit random, but I’m excited to see both of these young teams this season. The Magic with KCP should be in the mix for a mid-seed in the East, while the Grizzlies hope for a healthy 2024-25 and a return to the top of the West. This matchup gives us a chance to see both against a team occupying a similar tier (on paper).
November
Nov. 1: Nuggets-Wolves (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
A rematch of the 7-game instant classic West semis, and once again we get to see if Denver’s still got the juice to hang with the best in the West, as Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, and the Wolves have their eyes on a 1-seed.
Nov. 12: Knicks-Sixers (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
November also brings the start of NBA Cup play, and the opening night features arguably the biggest matchup of the entire tournament. The Knicks and Sixers landing in the same group means their first game against each other will determine who becomes the favorite to reach the quarterfinals.
Nov. 19: Pelicans-Mavs (8:30 p.m. ET, League Pass)
Have the Pelicans done enough, adding Dejounte Murray this summer, to be a real threat in the West this year? Their Cup game against the Mavs will be a nice measuring stick against the reigning West champs (and also could be important in deciding that group).
Nov. 19: Thunder-Spurs (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
That same night, we get Chet vs. Wemby in a Cup game, which should be electric. We don’t have a ton of great player rivalries in the NBA right now, but these two are always determined to show out against the other and this one should be fun.
Nov. 22: Pacers-Bucks (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
The Pacers, somewhat surprisingly, owned the Bucks last season. They beat them in the regular season. They beat them in the playoffs (albeit, a banged up Bucks team). As Cup finalists from a year ago, Indiana is known as a team that takes this seriously, and I’d bet Milwaukee will be looking for a bit of revenge early in the year.
December
Dec. 3: Magic-Knicks (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
The last night of the NBA Cup group stage will see the Knicks host the Magic in a game that could determine a spot in the quarterfinal.
Dec. 6: Bucks-Celtics (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Our first chance to see Giannis and Dame against the defending champs. These two seemingly always deliver an entertaining game.
Dec. 17: NBA Cup Final
No idea who will be playing in this yet, but I enjoyed the first year of the NBA Cup and hopefully this year’s final is a bit more competitive.
Dec. 25: Sixers-Celtics (5:00 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN)
The Christmas Day slate is, as always, loaded, but our first Sixers-Celtics game in the Garden should be electric.
Dec. 25: Lakers-Warriors (8:00 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN)
Who nows how many more times we’re going to get Steph vs. LeBron, so I’m going to enjoy another Christmas night watching two of the best to ever play go toe-to-toe.
January
Jan. 10: Thunder-Knicks (7:30 p.m. ET, League Pass)
A really fun cross-conference game that includes Isaiah Hartenstein’s return to the Garden. Also, a small chance this is an NBA Finals preview.
Jan. 12: Pacers-Cavs (6:00 p.m. ET, League Pass)
These two teams both think they should be in the mix in the East, but when you start crunching the numbers, neither is safe from the Play-In (provided the top-4 shakes out as expected). How both of these teams do against the other teams in the middle class of the East (Indiana/Cleveland/Orlando) will likely determine who is solidly in the playoffs and who might have to deal with the Play-In.
Jan. 14: Nuggets-Mavs (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
Jokic vs. Doncic is always fun. We also will know a good bit about both of these teams at this point, and one (or both) might be a bit further down the standings than they want with the trade deadline rapidly approaching.
Jan. 20: Wolves-Grizzlies (2:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
The Grizzlies were the young team on the rise in the West before last year, when Minnesota usurped that spot. On MLK Day in a national window, Memphis gets a chance to make a statement that they are back and a threat in the West once again.
Jan. 25: Celtics-Mavs (5:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
The NBA Finals rematch arrives at the end of January on ABC, as we’ll get to see Luka, Kyrie, and the Mavs try to find another gear against Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the Celtics.
February
Feb. 4: Lakers-Clippers (10:00 p.m. ET, TNT)
The Lakers finally will actually go to a road arena for their in-city rivalry with the Clippers, who move into the Intuit Dome this year. That adds some intrigue to this matchup, as does the fact these two should be competing for seeding in the West just before the trade deadline.
Feb. 11: Grizzlies-Suns (10:00 p.m. ET, TNT)
If you can’t tell, Memphis is one of the teams that fascinates me this season. They were so bad a year ago, but were also missing just about everyone important. I have no idea how far they leap back up the West standings, but the Suns are another team looking to make a climb this year, and going into All-Star, this could be a very entertaining game.
Feb. 23: Thunder-Wolves (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
OKC and Minnesota are two teams that are a pretty good bet to care about games, even in late February. They both should be in the mix for the West’s 1-seed, and OKC can test run their new frontcourt with Isaiah Hartenstein against one of the biggest teams in the West.
Feb. 25: Cavs-Magic (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
As mentioned earlier, all of the games between Cleveland, Indiana, and Orlando figure to be important this year for seeding in the East. Add in these two playing a contentious 7-game series in the first round in 2024, and this should be a fun matchup coming out of the break.
Feb. 26: Spurs-Rockets (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
The Rockets have Play-In aspirations, and by this point, we’ll know if they’re on track for that or not. After the All-Star break, it’s not always easy to pinpoint what games guys will get up for, but this should be a fun matchup between a Houston team hungry to win (in a rare national spotlight) and a Spurs team looking to take a step forward around Victor Wembanyama.
March
March 4: Clippers-Suns (10:00 p.m. ET, TNT)
Both of these teams hope to be in the playoff hunt by this point, but it wouldn’t be surprising if one or both were in Play-In position when they meet in early March.
March 9: Grizzlies-Pelicans (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Another matchup of teams in the West that should fall into a similar tier, the Grizzlies and Pelicans are very familiar with one another and tend to put on an entertaining show when they match up.
March 13: Kings-Warriors (10:00 p.m. ET, TNT)
The Kings hope DeMar DeRozan pushes them back into the mix in the West, while the Warriors made some solid moves on the margins but didn’t take any swings to build a real threat around Steph. As such, the two northern California squads may once again be battling for a Play-In berth when they play here, and have plenty of familiarity with each other.
March 16: Suns-Lakers (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
KD vs. LeBron is always fun, and add in that these teams will likely be battling for seeding and this Saturday showcase game should have plenty of juice.
March 28: Knicks-Bucks (8:00 p.m. ET, League Pass)
If everything goes to plan in the East, this game should be a battle of top seeds. Whether there’s incentive for either side to go all out at this point remains to be seen, but it could be an important game for seeding for both teams.
April
April 1: Wolves-Nuggets (10:00 p.m. ET, TNT)
Denver has been a top-4 lock in the West for years, but I’m not 100 percent sold that’s the case this year. Minnesota, meanwhile, will want the 1-seed, and so both might be playing for something in their early April showdown.
April 3: Bucks-Sixers (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
We’ll get a little round-robin between the best teams in the East to close out the season, with Milwaukee and Philly also meeting in a potentially big game for seeding.
April 8: Celtics-Knicks (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
New York hopes they’ve closed the gap on Boston and that this game will mean something in the standings. We’ll see, given how the Celtics ran away with the East a year ago, but it’d be fun if this game had real stakes for the 1-seed.
April 13: Pacers-Cavs (1:00 p.m. ET, League Pass)
There aren’t a lot of games on the last day of the season that I think will have real stakes, but this one could be for the 5, 6, or 7-seed in the East. If it’s somehow a Play-In before the Play-In, that’d be extremely fun.
April 13: Clippers-Warriors (3:30 p.m. ET, League Pass)
Like Pacers-Cavs, this has a chance to matter to both teams in what is supposed to be a very tight battle for spots in the West.