Cali Christmas: Lakers-Warriors meeting headlines 2018-19 schedule
LeBron James and Stephen Curry are the headliners for the NBA's annual Christmas Day marathon with the Los Angeles Lakers visiting the Golden State Warriors as part of a five-game slate.
The NBA released its official schedule on Wednesday, confirming rumored, if expected, primetime billing for the Warriors and Lakers.
Opening night on Oct. 16 -- the earliest start to the NBA regular season since 1980 -- will feature the Warriors' ring presentation before a meeting with Kevin Durant's former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Warriors and Lakers are also the nighttime main event featured by the NBA's national coverage on Martin Luther King Day (Jan. 21), with this meeting at Staples Center.
James' first regular-season game with the Lakers, another national TV spot on Oct. 18, is at Portland. A national TV audience also is ticketed for James' home debut in L.A. two days later against the Houston Rockets.
ESPN reported Wednesday that James' first game back in Cleveland with his new team will be on Nov. 21. During James' second stint with his hometown Cavaliers, the team reached the final each of the past four seasons, winning the championship in 2016.
The NBA season tips off with the Philadelphia 76ers facing the Celtics in Boston on Oct. 16, followed by Thunder-Warriors later that night.
The Christmas Day slate begins with the Milwaukee Bucks at the New York Knicks. The Thunder then will oppose former teammates James Harden and Carmelo Anthony when they visit the Rockets. Another Philadelphia-at-Boston matchup will precede Lakers-Warriors. The Trail Blazers play the Jazz in Utah to conclude the quintuple-header.
A tripleheader is scheduled for Martin Luther King Day. The Memphis Grizzlies will hold their annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Game against the visiting New Orleans Pelicans. The Rockets then play in Philadelphia prior to the Warriors-Lakers game in Los Angeles.
--Field Level Media
