Taking A Look Ahead: NBA Opening Day Slate

By: Anthony Ametrano

The NBA schedule is set to be released today. Amidst this anticipation, there have been leaks of some of this seasons prime time games. Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, the opening night slate for this season includes two highly entertaining matchups. The NBA will open its season on October 18th with the 76ers visiting the Celtics, and LeBron James and the Lakers traveling to San Francisco for the Warriors banner night.

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Celtics vs Sixers

On the east coast, this matchup between the 76ers and the Celtics is a clash between two of the leagues brightest stars in Joel Embiid and Jayson Tatum. This is an opportunity for the defending Eastern Conference champion Celtics to send a message to the league that they are still not to be messed with. On the other side of the court, the league has reportedly also handed the 76ers a Christmas Day game as well as this opening night game. This means the league is putting a lot of stock into the 76ers and MVP runner-up Joel Embiid. This matchup could be a preview for an Eastern Conference Finals series as each squad is set to make a deep playoff run this season.

Lakers vs Warriors

In the later game, the defending champion Warriors play host to LeBron and the Lakers. The Lakers and Warriors faced off on opening night last season with the Lakers falling 121-114 in Russel Westbrook’s debut with the team. The Lakers only win against the Warriors last season came on March 5 as Draymond Green was absent from the Warriors lineup that evening, as well as Anthony Davis from the Lakers. A matchup between a healthy Lakers and Warriors team will make for a great opening to the NBA season.