20 must-see games during first 2 months

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The NBA’s annual schedule-release hits most fans in waves. The groups and match play for the Emirates NBA Cup landed Tuesday. Then come the highly anticipated matchups in the traditionally juicy Christmas lineup, whether announced or leaked unofficially. Opening night games, built around the ring ceremony for the reigning champions, generate chatter the moment they’re made public.
But don’t stop there. It doesn’t take much digging to find dozens of intriguing matchups scattered throughout based on rivalries, projected races in the fresh standings, or good ol’ grudges.
Here are 20 more games just from the season’s first two-plus months that should be worth noting, and all games will be played before Dec. 25.
Pacers vs. Knicks
> Friday, Oct. 25 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
The second game for both teams is a time machine taking them back five months to Indiana’s seven-game triumph in the East semifinals. The last time the Pacers visited Madison Square Garden, Tyrese Haliburton scored 26 while a battered Jalen Brunson shot 6-of-17 in Indiana’s dominant 130-109 Game 7 victory.
Thunder vs. Bulls
> Saturday, Oct. 26 at 8 p.m. ET on League Pass
Take another look at Oklahoma City two nights after it faces Denver in the opener for both teams. The Thunder had another strong offseason, adding center Isaiah Hartenstein and All-Defensive guard Alex Caruso, a popular former Bulls player returning for the night to United Center. Chicago got OKC’s Josh Giddey in that deal, but look quick because the Bulls might spend most of the season off most folks’ radar.
Kings vs. Lakers
> Saturday, Oct. 26 at 10:30 p.m. ET on League Pass
Another ex-Bull figure is featured in this night’s late game, with veteran wing DeMar DeRozan joining the already offensive-minded Kings in hopes of making a move in the West. DeRozan, one of the league’s best clutch scorers, was coveted by the Lakers, who run back a largely unchanged crew dependent on soon-to-be-40 LeBron James and big Anthony Davis.
Bucks vs. Celtics
> Monday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV
Milwaukee split its four games against the Celtics last season but otherwise didn’t breathe the same air as the 2024 champions. The Bucks got bumped off in six in the first round by Indiana, and played without former two-time Kia MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. He’ll run it back with Damian Lillard against the most complete team in the NBA.
Wizards vs. Hawks
> Monday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m. ET on League Pass
It might not pack the same popcorn quotient as last year’s battles between the top two rookies did (more on that later), but this does potentially pit the Nos. 1 and 2 picks in the 2024 Draft against each other. Hawks newbie Zaccharie Risacher (France) and Wizards big man Alex Sarr (France) bring international flavor to a showdown of hope for the East lottery teams.
Mavericks vs. Timberwolves
> Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m. on TNT
It’s payback time, sort of, for a Minnesota team that got dominated in five games by a Mavericks squad on its way to the Finals. The Wolves might have believed digital media printouts – “press clippings” is so old millennium – after eliminating the defending champs from Denver in the semis. Come for that context, stay for Luka Doncic vs. Anthony Edwards.
Celtics vs. Pacers
> Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN
Indiana overachieved last spring, reaching the East finals after three straight lottery finishes. And Boston was happy to drive home that point, sweeping the Pacers. But only one of the games was decided by more than five points. Haliburton missed two of the four and Indiana outshot the Celtics in the series (it just made 21 fewer 3-pointers). With Pascal Siakam on board from the start and Bennedict Mathurin back, the Pacers expect to narrow what was a 17-game gap in the standings.
Spurs vs. Thunder
> Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Year 2 of Victor Wembanyama vs. Chet Holmgren commences in this one. The two big men were compelling in their matchups last season, finishing 1-2 in Kia Rookie of the Year balloting. This should be more of the same, with the Spurs’ Wembanyama likely to turn in the more dazzling individual performances while Holmgren’s OKC crew has loftier team ambitions.
Magic vs. Cavaliers
> Friday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN
Both these East upstarts are counting on internal development and continuity in their respective climbs toward Boston’s perch. Cleveland dug deep to pay Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, while Orlando did the same for Franz Wagner, with Paolo Banchero next up at the pay window. They thrashed back-and-forth in the Cavs’ first-round triumph, with only one of the seven games closer than seven points, but the foundation of a rivalry was laid.
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves
> Friday, Nov. 1 at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
The nightcap is even more of a grudge game between springtime opponents, with Denver’s title defense snuffed in the West semis by a Wolves team built specifically for the purpose. Beyond Nikola Jokic’s battle with Minnesota’s bigs, this could measure the growing gap between Nuggets never-quite-an-All Star guard Jamal Murray and Wolves highlight czar Edwards.
Sixers vs. Clippers
> Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN
The biggest free agent move of the summer gets the spotlight in the first meeting between Paul George and his old L.A. team, for which he averaged 23 points and played in 38 postseason games in five years. They’ll play again 18 days later in Philadelphia, but this one – back in Los Angeles, in Clippers owner Steve Ballmer’s shiny new Intuit Dome – should have the most juice and possible angst.
Mavericks vs. Nuggets
> Sunday, Nov. 10 at 8 p.m. ET on League Pass
Denver won three of four against Dallas last season, but didn’t catch the Mavericks in the playoffs and could only watch as they represented the West against Boston for the championship. Frankly, these rivals looked to move in opposite directions in the offseason, with Dallas upgrading its roster while the Nuggets lost another key piece in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Knicks vs. Sixers
> Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT
“We’re the biggest threat to Boston out East!” “No, WE’RE the biggest threat to Boston!” With all due respect to the Bucks, Cavaliers, Magic, Pacers and Heat, New York and Philadelphia are unabashed in their aspirations to topple the Celtics in nine months or so. George for the Sixers, Mikal Bridges for the Knicks and other assorted changes freshen up the rematch of April’s first-round clash won by New York in six.
Mavericks vs. Warriors
> Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 10 p.m. ET on TNT
One of sports’ enduring storylines is when a former player, now relocated, returns to the site of his heroics to stick it to his old team. Klay Thompson going West to face the Warriors might not pack a lot of vitriol – they all had awfully good times together – but you know the ever-competitive and proud Thompson will be looking to shine against the club that said goodbye.
Suns vs. Timberwolves
> Sunday, Nov. 17 at 3:30 p.m. ET on League Pass
A sweep? Seriously? Who saw that coming in the first round? Certainly not Phoenix, until it was outscored by 54 points in Games 1-3 by the Timberwolves – a foe the Suns had swept 3-0 in the regular season. The trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal averaged nearly 71 points in the series but had no teammate chip in more than 8.0 ppg. That was a humiliating ouster for which Phoenix had better be seeking revenge, or at least a little equilibrium.
Nuggets vs. Lakers
> Saturday, Nov. 23 at 10:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV
The wisecrack barrel might be scraping bottom at this point, with Denver having won 12 of the past 13 meetings and 15 of 19 over the past four seasons and postseasons. But this brings new Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook back to face his old pals on their home court, a fresh angle in a duel of would-be West contenders.
Heat vs. Celtics
> Monday, Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m. ET on League Pass
Nobody puts Heat Culture in a corner. Miami might not get mentioned much in conversations about the likely top seeds in the East after its first-round dispatching by the Celtics and a second consecutive meh offseason. Although the Heat sometimes wait until later in the year to reach their top gear, this is an early-season game that should demand their attention.
Thunder vs. Magic
> Thursday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. ET on TNT
Beyond a battle that could determine supremacy between the NBA’s “O” markets, this showcases two of the rising young teams in their respective conferences. Both the Thunder and the Magic ended three-year playoff droughts with big win totals last season (57 and 47 respectively). This is the second of their two regular-season meetings (Nov. 4 is first), but this one gets the national stage.
Heat vs. Magic
> Saturday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. ET on League Pass
This comes in a stretch of a rigorous home schedule for Orlando, with the Suns, Thunder, Heat, Celtics and Knicks booked for December visits to central Florida. These intrastate rivals play all four of their head-to-heads between Oct. 23 and Jan. 27, with potential for a fifth in the In-Season Tournament. An older brother by one year – the franches joined the NBA in 1988 and 1989, respectively – Miami owns the sibling rivalry with a 79-59 record (plus 3-2 in playoff games) and three Larry O’Brien trophies to none.
Raptors vs. Knicks
> Monday, Dec. 23 at 7:30 p.m. ET on League Pass
These teams are linked by the five-player trade they made Dec. 30 that delivered OG Anunoby to New York, a key piece in the Knicks’ push to the second round. They went 33-17 after the deal while Toronto slipped off the face of the continent by going 13-37. But R.J. Barrett averaged 21.8 points on 55.3% shooting for the Raptors, while Immanuel Quickley turned added minutes into a scoring boost from 12.9 to 18.6. This is their second visit back to MSG.
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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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