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2021-22 NBA Opening Night and Christmas Schedule: Date, time and where to watch

Stephen Curry and LeBron James will be against each other again on opening day.
Stephen Curry and LeBron James will be against each other again on opening day.

After a riveting summer league campaign that saw multiple potentially elite draftees, the NBA today released the national television schedule for the opening week and Christmas fixtures for the 2021-22 season. The 2021-22 NBA season will tip off on 19th October with two blockbuster matchups from either conference.

In the East, NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks will take on the Brooklyn Nets in a rematch of the Eastern Conference semifinals. In the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors will be up against LeBron James’ LA Lakers in what is a rematch of their play-in fixture. In this article, we look at all the details about the aforementioned fixtures.

A range of stars will be involved on the opening day
A range of stars will be involved on the opening day

NBA Opening Night Schedule

The first week of the 2021-22 NBA season will feature a total of 12 teams, along with all eight finalists from the 2021 MVP award. After two blockbuster fixtures on opening day, the Boston Celtics will take on the New York Knicks in the East, while 2021 MVP Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets will take on championship finalists the Phoenix Suns.

Date and TimeMatchTV
Tuesday, 19/10/21, 7:30 PM ETBrooklyn Nets vs Milwaukee BucksTNT
Tuesday, 19/10/21, 10:00 PMGolden State Warriors vs LA LakersTNT

On 21st October, 2018 draftees Luka Doncic and Trae Young will go head-to-head while the Golden State Warriors will return to take on Kawhi Leonard’s LA Clippers in the West. THe last two fixtures are scheduled for Friday, October 22nd. The Brooklyn Nets will be up against Philadelphia 76ers while LeBron James will get a chance to get some kind of revenge after getting knocked out by the Suns last time around.

NBA Christmas Day Schedule

The Christmas day fixtures were also released at the same time, and can be seen below. As always, a number of high-profile matches are scheduled, with the most enticing being the one between the LA Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets.

Date and TimeMatchTV
Saturday, 25/12/21, 12:00 PM ETAtlanta Hawks vs New York KnicksESPN
Saturday, 25/12/21, 2:30 PM ETBoston Celtics vs Milwaukee BucksABC
Saturday, 25/12/21, 5 PM ETGolden State Warriors vs Pheonix SunsABC
Saturday, 25/12/21, 8 PM ETBrooklyn Nets vs Phoenix SunsESPN/ABC
Saturday, 25/12/21, 10:30 PM ETDallas Mavericks vs Utah JazzESPN

The matchup will feature a range of former teammates going head-to-head, with Irving taking on LeBron, while Russell Westbrook will play against the likes of Kevin Durant and James Harden. The match is just one of five fixtures announced along with national television schedules for each.

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