The NBA’s 2024-25 season will kick off with the New York Knicks traveling to Boston to face the Celtics, while the Minnesota Timberwolves will play against the Lakers in Los Angeles, as reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic.
These matchups are scheduled for Tuesday, October 22, and will be broadcast on TNT.
On opening night, the Celtics will also receive their championship rings from the 2023-24 season, according to Charania.
Boston is coming off a season where they finished first in the Eastern Conference with a 64-18 record and claimed the NBA title. The Knicks, who secured 50 wins for the first time since 2012-13, finished second in the East.
The Celtics have retained their core roster, including point guard Derrick White and star forward Jayson Tatum, who recently signed the largest contract extension in NBA history. Tatum, White, and Jrue Holiday were also part of the U.S. team that won gold at the Paris Olympics.
The Knicks made a significant offseason move by acquiring Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets, sending four first-round picks and veteran Bojan Bogdanovic to the Nets in return.
In the previous season, the Celtics held a 4-1 record against the Knicks.
On the West Coast, the Minnesota Timberwolves, who reached the Western Conference Finals last season, will face the Lakers in L.A. The Timberwolves won a playoff series for the first time since 2003-04. LeBron James, who was named MVP of the Olympic tournament after leading the U.S. to gold, will look to rebound after the Lakers’ 47-35 season ended in a first-round playoff loss to the Denver Nuggets for the second consecutive year.
The Lakers lost three out of four games against Minnesota during the 2023-24 regular season.
Additionally, Golden State Warriors legend Klay Thompson is set to make his first appearance in the Bay Area as a member of the Dallas Mavericks on November 12, according to Charania.
