NEW YORK (AFP) — The National Basketball Association (NBA) will open its 2024-25 season with the reigning champion Boston Celtics hosting New York and the Los Angeles Lakers hosting Minnesota in a schedule unveiled on Thursday.

The 79th NBA regular season tips off with those contests on 22 October and concludes on 13 April 2025, when all 30 teams play.

The Celtics will unfurl an 18th NBA championship banner before facing the Knicks in a matchup of the top two Eastern Conference playoff seeds.

All-time NBA scoring leader LeBron James will begin a record-tying 22nd league campaign when the Lakers play host to Minnesota, the Timberwolves coming off their second-best season and a first trip in 20 years to the Western Conference final.

The NBA playoffs will begin on 19 April, after play-in games 15-18 April, with the best-of-seven NBA Finals set to start on 5 June.

Each team will play 82 regular-season games with some matchups to be determined as a result of the NBA Cup, the in-season tournament that begins 12 November and concludes in December in Las Vegas.

On 23 October, the second day of the NBA campaign, nine-time NBA All-Star Paul George makes his debut with the Philadelphia 76ers against the visiting Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Clippers play their first game in their new home arena, the Intuit Dome, against Phoenix.

Reigning Western Conference champion Dallas, with new guard Klay Thompson, will play host on 24 October to San Antonio, with reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama and new Spurs guard Chris Paul starting his 20th NBA campaign.

That night also sees Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder visit reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets.

On 25 October, Phoenix will visit the Lakers and Indiana will face New York.

The NBA will stage five games on Christmas, with San Antonio at New York, Minnesota at Dallas, the Lakers at Golden State, Philadelphia at Boston and Denver at Phoenix.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day will feature Minnesota at Memphis, Boston at Golden State and Dallas at Charlotte.

An NBA rivals week will be staged 21-25 January with the final day seeing Boston at Dallas in a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals plus Denver at Minnesota and the Lakers at Golden State.