Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
Here are our biggest takeaways from the 2024-2025 NBA schedule release.
The dog days of the NBA offseason are officially here, but there’s a light shining at the end of the proverbial tunnel. The 2024-2025 NBA schedule was released on Thursday afternoon for all 30 teams. The NBA will be back before you know it, and the WNBA has basketball fans covered until then.
Most of the NBA will host media day on Sept. 30 and begin training camp on Oct. 1 (the Nuggets and Celtics begin both a week earlier). Boston and Denver play the league’s first preseason games in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 4 and Oct. 6. Opening night for the regular season is Oct. 22, with Celtics hosting the Knicks, and the Lakers hosting the Timberwolves.
The trade deadline is Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. ET, and 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend begins Feb. 14. The play-in tournament starts April 15, and the NBA Playoffs officially start April 19.
With their schedule now out, here are some fun facts, trends, and oddities that caught our eye.
The Nuggets have the easiest schedule
The Nuggets have the NBA’s easiest strength of schedule, according to @presidual, which factors in home/road rest advantage, travel, altitude, etc.
Denver has 10 games with a rest advantage, 12 games with a rest disadvantage pic.twitter.com/0UpD1PeJ6P
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) August 15, 2024
It’s hard to take anything away from preseason strength of schedule metrics in the NBA, but the Nuggets leading this formula makes sense. Denver always has a strong home court advantage playing at altitude (5,280 feet above sea level, as their jerseys say), and it’s centrally located enough to avoid horrible travel. What is interesting here is that the other four teams are in the much easier Eastern Conference. There’s no such thing as an easy schedule for a Western Conference heavy hitter like the Nuggets, but at least their schedule is a little more tolerable than some of their top conference foes.
The Lakers have the most national TV games
Top 5 most national TV games for the 2024-25 season:
1) Lakers: 39
2) Warriors: 36
T3) Celtics: 34
T3) Knicks: 34
T5) Mavericks: 30
T5) Suns: 30 https://t.co/igejprP4Nf
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) August 15, 2024
The Lakers are not one of the best teams in the NBA, but they will be on TV the most. LA has 39 nationally televised games between ESPN/ABC, TNT, and NBA TV. If you want to watch LeBron James in his age-40 season play with his son Bronny, you will get plenty of opportunities. Let’s hope James and Anthony Davis can stay healthy this season, otherwise there are going to be a lot of nights when the nationally televised games are duds. It would be nice to see some younger and better teams get more shine, but LeBron will always put up numbers on the court and in television ratings.
The Suns’ schedule is tough
Phoenix is all-in this season around Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker with all of its future draft picks and salary cap space out the door. The Suns are hoping to build on a 49-win season and first round sweep last year, but their regular season schedule looks tough. While the Portland Trail Blazers have the hardest schedule in the league by the numbers, Phoenix isn’t far behind with the fourth most difficult schedule. The Suns “play four less times with a rest advantage than they do with a rest disadvantage,” according to RealGM, which is the most in the league. Phoenix also has an NBA-high 16 back-to-backs this season, though it shares that honor with 10 other teams. The Suns are facing as much pressure as any team in the league this season to go on a real championship run, and it looks like the chips are stacked against them based on the schedule.
Raptors, Trail Blazers, Pistons have the fewest national TV games
These teams only play on national TV four times each all year. That makes sense for the Pistons coming off a 14-win season, and the Blazers coming off a 21-win season. The Raptors aren’t necessarily rebuilding and figure to be the Eastern Conference play-in mix, but national audiences won’t get many looks at Scottie Barnes, R.J. Barrett and Co. this year.
3 ‘revenge games’ to circle
Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors on Nov. 12, 10 p.m. ET, TNT: Klay Thompson goes back to the Bay for the first time. The crowd will go bonkers for an all-time great Warrior, and the tribute video should turn on the waterworks in the building. Klay is either hitting eight three-pointers in this game or shooting 0-for-15. It’s going to be must-see TV either way.
Philadelphia 76ers at Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 6, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN: The Sixers should be thanking the Clippers every day for refusing to offer Paul George a fourth-year on a potential contract extension. PG is in Philly now, and this feels like it’s going to be an odd homecoming.
Brooklyn Nets at New York Knicks on Nov. 15, 7:30 p.m. ET: Mikal Bridges was traded from the Nets to the Knicks to complete their Villanova reunion. The Nets don’t want to win at a high level this year as they eye Cooper Flagg in the draft lottery. The Knicks think they have enough to win the East. This could be a 30-point blowout.
NBA’s key dates for 2024-2025 season
Regular season opens: Oct. 22
NBA Cup (in-season tournament) championship game: Dec. 17
Trade deadline: Feb. 6
2025 NBA All-Star Game: Feb. 16
Play-in tournament begins: April 15
2025 NBA Playoffs start: April 19
2025 NBA Draft lottery: May 2025
2025 NBA Finals start: June 5
