The NBA will release its national TV schedule for the first week of the regular season, Christmas and Martin Luther King Day Thursday at 4:00 a.m. AEST according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
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LeBron James and his Lakers will visit the Golden State Warriors, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks will visit Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers will renew their rivalry according to Marc Stein of the New York Times.
A vintage dose of Celtics/Sixers, Giannis and the Bucks at MSG against the Knicks and (you guessed it) LeBron's Lakers in Oakland to face the Warriors are the highlights of the NBA's Christmas Day schedule that will be announced Wednesday afternoon, league sources tell @NYTSports
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 8, 2018
The 76ers and Celtics were also reportedly set to open the season on October 16th.
The Trail Blazers will also visit their Northwest Division foes the Utah Jazz and the Houston Rockets wll host the Oklahoma City Thunder in a rematch of last year's classic according to ESPN's Chris Haynes and Tim MacMahon.
NBA on Christmas Day should be 🔥
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 8, 2018
(First reported by @nytimes, confirmed by ESPN.) pic.twitter.com/4XZyhX0Woj
The Toronto Raptors have once again been shut out of the NBA's marquee day — even after finishing first in the Eastern Conference a season ago and with the potential compelling matchup against the Spurs which would see Kawhi Leonard playing his first game back in San Antonio as a member of the Raptors.
The Raptors have only ever played on Christmas Day once before back in 2001 when they took on the Knicks in New York losing 102-94.
The entire schedule is expected to be released in its entirety later this week.
