The NBA is back!
The 2022-23 season tips off with a doubleheader. First up, the Philadelphia 76ers take on the Boston Celtics in an early clash of Eastern Conference contenders. The Celtics are the defending conference champs, while the Sixers are looking to end a Finals drought that has lasted more than two decades.
Out West, the defending champion Golden State Warriors will receive their rings after winning their fourth title in the past eight seasons. Looking to spoil the celebration will be the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James, who begins the season needing 1,326 points to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s career scoring leader.
We’ll have complete coverage from Boston and San Francisco with highlights, takeaways and the moments that matter all night long.
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Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics
When we last saw the Celtics, they fell to the Warriors in the NBA Finals. However, that team was led by Ime Udoka, who has been suspended for the entire 2022-23 season. Tuesday’s opener against Philadelphia will mark the regular-season NBA coaching debut of Joe Mazzulla, the 34-year-old former assistant who has been with Boston for three seasons.
This will be the first opener as a Sixer for James Harden, who was acquired by Philadelphia at the trade deadline last season. He signed a new two-year contract this offseason, taking a pay cut from his player option to give the Sixers the cap space to add PJ Tucker, who won a title with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021 and helped the Miami Heat reach the conference finals last season.
Blake is in the building
Blake Griffin arrives for his debut in Boston! #KiaTipOff22
🔔 Sixers vs. Celtics ☘
7:30 PM ET on TNT pic.twitter.com/w55DJOEJfK— NBA (@NBA) October 18, 2022
But it’s not even Wednesday…
on opening night we wear pink. pic.twitter.com/635UV14QDd
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 18, 2022
Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors
The Warriors enter the season looking to become the NBA’s first back-to-back champion since… the Warriors. Golden State pulled off the feat in 2017 and 2018, back when Kevin Durant was starring in the Bay Area. Now it’s Andrew Wiggins who is teaming with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, and Wiggins just signed a contract extension that will keep him with the Warriors through the 2026-27. What that extension — and another four-year deal for Jordan Poole — means for Draymond Green remains to be seen. Green made headlines this preseason when he punched Poole during practice, and is still waiting on a contract extension of his own.
While the Warriors were the last team standing last season, the Lakers failed to even make the postseason for the second time in four years with LeBron James on the roster. James enters this season not only trying to return to the playoffs, but looking to break the NBA’s all-time points record. He’ll once again partner with Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook, the latter of whom spent the entire offseason in trade rumors and came off the bench in his final preseason appearance — something he hasn’t done in a regular-season game since his rookie season.
JTA will get his ring, but Walker won’t be watching
Juan Toscano-Anderson says he purchased floor seats for the first time in his life so his mom could see his ring ceremony tonight. I asked him how much: “Too much.” A little more prying: “Five figures.” And figures to be a priceless moment for his family. pic.twitter.com/XtaWGDjrYN
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 18, 2022
Lonnie Walker doesn’t plan on taking in the Warriors’ ring ceremony as a spectator. He will be a little preoccupied with prepping to guard the 2022 Finals MVP pic.twitter.com/nLL6F7SSLF
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 18, 2022