The NBA announced its first wave of games for the 2018-19 season on Wednesday afternoon, as the league revealed the nationally televised matchups for its opening week, Christmas Day, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The league will kick things off with a pair of highly-anticipated games on TNT on Oct. 16, as the Philadelphia 76ers will travel to Boston to take on the Celtics at 8 p.m. Once that wraps up, the Golden State Warriors will host the Oklahoma City Thunder at 10:30 p.m., with their ring ceremony happening before the game. Here’s how the rest of the league’s nationally televised opening week slate looks:
- Oct. 17: New Orleans Pelicans vs. Houston Rockets, 8 p.m., ESPN
- Oct. 17: Dallas Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns, 10:30 p.m., ESPN
- Oct. 18: Chicago Bulls vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 8 p.m., TNT
- Oct. 18: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers, 10:30 p.m., TNT
- Oct. 19: Boston Celtics vs. Toronto Raptors, 8 p.m., ESPN
- Oct. 19: Golden State Warriors vs. Utah Jazz, 10:30 p.m., ESPN
- Oct. 20: Toronto Raptors vs. Washington Wizards, 7 p.m., NBA TV
- Oct. 20: Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 10:30 p.m., ESPN
- Oct. 21: Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Clippers, 9 p.m., NBA TV
Fast forward to December and the league confirmed the Christmas Day matchups we all learned on Tuesday night. The New York Knicks will have their annual Christmas game, playing host to the Milwaukee Bucks at noon on ESPN. Carmelo Anthony’s old team will travel to take on his new team at 3 p.m. on ABC, as the Thunder and the Rockets will play in Houston. The Eastern Conference’s marquee matchup on Dec. 25 takes place at 5:30 p.m. on ABC when the Sixers once again travel to Boston.
LeBron James will make his highly-anticipated first trip to Golden State in the purple and gold in the 8 p.m. game, with ESPN broadcasting the showdown between the Lakers and the Warriors. To wrap up the day, Utah will play host to Portland at 10:30 p.m. on ESPN.
The NBA has made Martin Luther King Jr. Day a marquee day on its calendar, with the league celebrating King’s life while putting forth a full slate of games. Here are the nationally televised games you can expect to see on Jan. 21, 2019.
- New Orleans Pelicans vs. Memphis Grizzlies, 5:30 p.m., TNT
- Houston Rockets vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 8 p.m., TNT
- Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 10:30 p.m., TNT
As for the rest of the schedule, that’s slated to drop on Friday. But for now, there’s plenty of anticipation over what the league has in store for these three major events on its calendar.
