Knicks, Nets both open at home on Oct. 25 as NBA releases full schedules
RJ Barrett #9 of the New York Knicks dribbles as Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics defends during the second half at Madison Square Garden on February 27, 2023. Credit: Getty Images
Start the countdown as the Nets and Knicks unveiled their schedules Thursday for the upcoming NBA season.
Both teams begin on Oct. 25 with the Knicks hosting the Celtics and the Nets hosting the Cavaliers. The Knicks play at 7 p.m. on ESPN while the Nets game is at 7:30 p.m.
The Knicks and Nets will face off four times, with the first meeting on Dec. 20 at Barclays Center. They’ll meet again at Barclays on Jan. 23 before two games at Madison Square Garden on March 23 and April 12.
The Knicks will face the Cavaliers in a back-to-back on Oct. 31 in Cleveland and Nov. 1 at the Garden. That’ll be the first meeting since the Knicks won last season’s first-round playoff series in five games.
The Nets get their first crack at the 76ers hosting them on Nov. 19, a rematch of last season’s first-round playoff matchup.
No. 1 overall pick and Spurs center Victor Wembanyama will make his New York debut as a professional against the Knicks on Nov. 8, which will be shown on ESPN. The Nets host the Spurs on Feb. 10.
The Nets host the Suns on Jan. 31 on ESPN, which will be the potential return of Kevin Durant for the first time since he was traded last season. Kyrie Irving is scheduled to return a week later when the Nets host the Mavericks on Feb. 6 on TNT.
The Nets have just five nationally televised games on ESPN or TNT, a decline from having 13 last season. The Knicks have 20 nationally televised games on ABC, ESPN or TNT, including Nov. 24 when they host the Heat in a rematch of last year’s second-round playoff matchup.
The defending champion Nuggets come to New York twice to play the Nets on Dec. 22 and Knicks on Jan. 25. The Knicks host LeBron James and the Lakers on Feb. 3 while the Nets host the Lakers on March 31.
For all teams, 80 of their 82 games were released since two games will be determined by the results of the new In-Season tournament. Teams that reach the knockout round quarterfinals will play on Dec. 4-5 with the semifinals on Dec. 7 and Dec. 9. Teams that don’t reach or lose in the quarterfinals will play on Dec. 6 and 8.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
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