-
Ohm Youngmisuk, ESPN Staff Writer
Built to win a championship, the Knicks will immediately see how they and their newest player, Mikal Bridges, stack up when they try to spoil the Celtics‘ championship ring celebration on opening night in Boston.
The NBA unveiled its 2024-25 schedule Thursday with the Knicks-Celtics rivalry opening the season on Oct. 22. That will be followed by Olympic teammates LeBron James and Anthony Edwards squaring off on the marquee night when the Lakers host the Timberwolves.
The Knicks finished second in the Eastern Conference last season — 14 games behind the first-place Celtics — but were plagued by injuries in the postseason and lost in the conference semifinals to the Pacers, who were then swept by the Celtics in the conference finals.
In an attempt to gain ground on the reigning champion Celtics, the Knicks swung their first trade with the Nets since 1983, sending five first-round draft picks, a first-round pick swap and a second-round pick to land Bridges in the biggest trade of the summer.
The Knicks hope the addition of Bridges, who will be reunited with former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo in New York, will help them win the East. The Celtics finished with the NBA’s best record (64-18) last season before going 16-3 in the postseason, rolling to the 18th championship in franchise history and their first since 2008.
Edwards and the Wolves are looking to take a step forward after reaching the Western Conference finals last postseason. The Lakers’ opener could also be a first glimpse at rookie Bronny James, selected 55th overall out of USC.
The second night of the season will be highlighted by another heavyweight matchup between two Eastern Conference contenders. The 76ers‘ new big three of Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey make their long-awaited debut when they host Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and the Bucks on Oct. 23.
A few hours later, on the opposite coast in Inglewood, California, Steve Ballmer will open his state-of-the-art Intuit Dome when the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard and James Harden christen the newest court in the league against the Suns and Olympians Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
The Intuit Dome will hold its next-most-anticipated game two weeks later when George returns with the Sixers to Los Angeles to face his old team. George was supposed to open Intuit Dome with Leonard but instead will be motivated to light up the new arena after the Clippers wouldn’t match the four-year, $212 million deal he signed with Philadelphia.
George said he would have taken the same three-year, $150 million deal that Leonard signed in an extension in January but wanted a no-trade clause attached to it as well. The Clippers opted to let George walk after five seasons in which Leonard and George couldn’t fulfill championship expectations largely because of injuries.
George isn’t the only pure-shooting All-Star to change homes this offseason. Klay Thompson will make his highly anticipated Mavericks debut alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving against super sophomore Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs on Oct. 24.
On Nov. 12, Thompson will make what certainly will be an emotional return to Golden State to face Stephen Curry and Draymond Green as an opponent for the first time. After contract negotiations to stay in San Francisco didn’t go the way he had hoped, Thompson will be inspired to show he has plenty of 3-pointers left in him.
The top two teams to finish in the West last season will face off during the first week of the new season. The Thunder travel to Denver on Oct. 24 in a game that features Nuggets reigning MVP Nikola Jokic against MVP contender Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Ja Morant will make his long-awaited return to the court when the Grizzlies play at Houston on Oct. 25. Morant played in a total of nine games last season due to suspension and a labral tear suffered in his right shoulder in January. The Grizzlies finished 27-55, but they drafted Purdue’s Zach Edey ninth overall.
And with Morant — who was fully cleared to participate in basketball activities in July — back, Memphis should be poised to contend in the West again.
The NBA’s Christmas Day lineup will be star-studded. It opens with the league’s potential face of the future, Wembanyama, making his Christmas debut at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks. Doncic and the Mavericks will host Edwards and the Wolves in a rematch of the Western Conference finals. The Sixers will then see where they stand against the champs in Boston.
That will be followed by Curry and James meeting for the fourth time on Christmas. The two stars, who helped Team USA win gold in Paris, will be reunited when the Lakers travel to San Francisco to face Golden State. The holiday slate will finish with Jokic’s Nuggets at Phoenix to face Booker, Durant and Bradley Beal.
The league’s All-Star Weekend will be held Feb. 14-16 in San Francisco. The regular season will conclude April 13.