Key Dates
The 2023-24 regular season will kick off on 24 October 2023 and run until 14 April 2024. This campaign will see the introduction of the NBA In-Season Tournament, a new competition that will run concurrently with the regular season that will see all 30 teams battle it out for the NBA Cup. Aside from the final, the tournament will be comprised of regular season games, so these fixtures will have even more at stake. The In-Season Tournament begins on 3 November and runs until 9 December, so it’s set to add some spice to the early period of the campaign.
Postseason begins on 16 April with the Play-In Tournament, which concludes on 19 April, with the Playoffs beginning the following day once all 8 teams have been confirmed. The Playoffs will run throughout the remainder of April, May, and June 2024, with Game 1 of the NBA Finals set for 6 June.
Opening Day Matchups
The defending champions – the Denver Nuggets – will have the honours of kicking off the campaign, which they’ll do with a tricky home fixture against the Los Angeles Lakers. The season will also begin with some Texan heat between the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks.
Here’s the full opening schedule:
24 October
- Denver Nuggets v Los Angeles Lakers, Ball Arena
- Golden State Warriors v Phoenix Suns, Chase Center
25 October
- Charlotte Hornets v Atlanta Hawks, Spectrum Center
- Indiana Pacers v Washington Wizards, Gainbridge Fieldhouse
- New York Knicks v Boston Celtics, Madison Square Garden
- Orlando Magic v Houston Rockets, Amway Center
- Brooklyn Nets v Cleveland Cavaliers, Barclays Center
- Miami Heat v Detroit Pistons, Kaseya Center
- Toronto Raptors v Minnesota Timberwolves, Scotiabank Arena
- Chicago Bulls v Oklahoma City Thunder, United Center
- Memphis Grizzlies v New Orleans Pelicans, FedEx Forum
- Utah Jazz v Sacramento Kings, Delta Center
- San Antonio Spurs v Dallas Mavericks, Frost Bank Center
- Los Angeles Clippers v Portland Trail Blazers, Crypto.com Arena
26 October
- Milwaukee Bucks v Philadelphia 76ers, Fiserv Forum
- Los Angeles Lakers v Phoenix Suns, Crypto.com Arena
Players to Watch
Having been the NBA Finals MVP for the Denver Nuggets to guide them to their first championship, the Nuggets will be looking to their star centre Nikola Jokic to power them to an opening-day victory over the Lakers. The Serbian averaged more points (30.2), rebounds (14), and blocks (1.4) per game during the finals, more than any other player for either the Nuggets or the Miami Heat.
Meanwhile, all eyes will be on generational prospect Victor Wembanyama, who was the No. 1 draft pick for the San Antonio Spurs. He’s in for a baptism of fire with the Spurs taking on local rivals the Dallas Mavericks in their opening fixture, but the 7’4” behemoth was a dominant figure in the LNB Pro A league back in his native France. At the age of just 19, he ended last season as the youngest-ever recipient of the league’s MVP Award, was named to the All-Pro A First Team, and named Best Scorer, Best Defender, Best Young Player, and Best Blocker. Watching him in action in his first NBA outing is not to be missed!