20 must-see games on NBA TV in 2024-25

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The 2024-25 season will feature plenty of matchups across the league. NBA TV will have its fair share of enticing matchups as well, and these game are some of the must-watch ones to get on your calendar for the first half of the upcoming season.
October
Oct: 28: Bucks at Celtics (7:30 p.m. ET) & Lakers at Suns (10 p.m. ET) — In the first leg of a can’t-miss doubleheader, Jrue Holiday will face his former team as the reigning champion Celtics host Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks at TD Garden. Then, in a matchup between two of the league’s greatest scorers, LeBron James and Kevin Durant will go head-to-head for the second time in four days as the Suns host the Lakers after traveling to Crypto.com Arena on Oct. 25.
November
Nov. 4: Bucks at Cavaliers (7 p.m. ET) — Milwaukee and Cleveland finished third and fourth, respectively, in the East last season, separated by a single game. After splitting their season series a year ago, Antetokounmpo (30.3 ppg, 15 rpg, 8 apg vs. Cavs) and the Bucks meet Donovan Mitchell (30 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 7.5 apg vs. Bucks) and the Cavs for the first time this season.
Nov. 11: Clippers at Thunder (8 p.m. ET) — The Clippers’ 51 wins last season marked the franchise’s most since 2016-17, but they lost a core member this summer when Paul George signed with Philadelphia in free agency. Kawhi Leonard and James Harden lead the charge as the new-look Clippers will get an early test against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder. 
Nov. 16: Spurs at Mavs (8:30 p.m. ET) — In a Texas showdown between two of the league’s brightest young stars, Luka Doncic and the Mavericks will face Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs in Dallas. In last year’s season series, Doncic averaged a triple-double (29.3 ppg, 11.0 apg, 11.0 rpg), and the Mavs went 4-0, including a win in Wembanyama’s NBA debut.
Nov. 23: Nuggets at Lakers (10:30 p.m. ET) — Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and the Nuggets have ended LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Lakers’ season in two consecutive playoffs, winning the 2023 Western Conference Finals before ousting Los Angeles in the first round in 2024. Now, the rivals meet again for an early-season duel.
Nov. 25: Mavs at Hawks (7:30 p.m. ET) — Last season in Atlanta, Luka Doncic erupted for 73 points, the most since Kobe Bryant dropped 81 against the Raptors in 2006 and tied for the fourth-most in NBA history. Doncic had 41 in the first half, and only Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain have scored more points in a single game. What magic might Doncic have in store this time?
Nov. 30: Warriors at Suns (9 p.m. ET) — Six years ago, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry led the Warriors to back-to-back NBA titles under coach Steve Kerr. This summer, Kerr coached the duo again — this time as Olympic teammates for USA Basketball, which left Paris with a gold medal. Now, Durant will clash with Curry and Kerr as an opponent when Phoenix hosts Golden State in late November.
December
Dec. 4: Lakers at Heat (7:30 p.m. ET) — The Heat are 6-2 against the Lakers since Los Angeles defeated Miami to win the 2020 NBA championship. Six of those eight games were decided by six points or less. Since leaving Miami following the 2013-14 season, LeBron James is 10-10 against his former team in the regular season, averaging 26.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg and 6.5 apg.
Dec. 9: Knicks at Raptors (7:30 p.m. ET) — Last December, the Knicks acquired OG Anunoby from the Raptors for RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. New York went 26-6 with Anunoby in the lineup (20-3 regular season and 6-3 in the playoffs), while Barrett and Quickley (who signed an extension this offseason) will be building pieces for Toronto.
Dec. 23: Spurs at 76ers (7 p.m. ET) — Both Sixers vs. Spurs matchups from last season featured a Sixers’ star having a career-best scoring night. On Jan. 22, Joel Embiid became the ninth player to score 70-plus points in an NBA game in a win against the Spurs. On April 7, with Embiid out, Tyrese Maxey dropped 52 points in a double-overtime win. What will they do for an encore in 2024-25?
Dec. 27: Pacers at Celtics (7:30 p.m. ET) — Indiana was one of only four teams to beat Boston multiple times during the regular season last year. but could not replicate that success when the teams met in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics swept the series, ending Indy’s deepest playoff run in a decade, as Boston eventually rolled to the 2024 NBA title.
Dec. 30: Mavericks at Kings (10 p.m. ET) — This first meeting of the season between two teams that routinely deliver close games. Over 21 games since Luka Doncic joined the Mavs in 2018, the teams are separated by one win and 11 total points with 14 games decided by single digits, including 10 by five points or less.
Dec. 31: Timberwolves at Thunder (8 p.m. ET) — Two rising West powers meet up to close out 2024. Last season, Gilgeous-Alexander and OKC (57-25) finished first in the West, while Anthony Edwards and Minnesota (56-26) finished third but reached the Western Conference Finals. This matchup could prove crucial in the West hierarchy in the months to come.
January
Jan. 4: Nuggets at Spurs (8 p.m. ET) — Don’t miss the only nationally-televised matchup between two of the game’s most unique bigs. Jokic is a three-time Kia MVP and viewed by some as the greatest passing center ever, while Wembanyama has an all-around game that defies his size.
Jan. 6: Suns at 76ers (7 p.m. ET) — This is season two of the Suns’ trio of Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal — although they shared the court for only 45 games last year — and the first season of the new-look Sixers with Paul George joining Embiid and Maxey. Who will prevail in Philadelphia?
Jan. 9: Timberwolves at Magic (7 p.m. ET) — The No. 1 overall Draft picks in 2020 (Edwards) and 2022 (Orlando’s Paolo Banchero) meet for the first time this season after both young stars helped lead their respective franchises to their best seasons in a decade. Banchero holds a 2-1 edge over Edwards in head-to-head games.
Jan. 13: Spurs at Lakers (10:30 ET) — It was James who bestowed the “Alien” moniker to Wembanyama back in 2022, nearly a year before he was selected No. 1 overall in the 2023 Draft. Two generational talents will go head to head, making this (and every) Lakers-Spurs matchup a must-see.
Jan. 24: Pelicans at Grizzlies (8 ET) — New Orleans’ Zion Williamson and Memphis’ Ja Morant are the faces of their respective franchises, and both seek their first deep run in the playoffs. This late January showdown could impact the West chase as the stretch run nears.
Februrary
Feb. 10: Warriors at Bucks (8 p.m. ET) — A clash between the 2022 and 2021 NBA champs, respectively, with both teams led by a back-to-back Kia NBA MVP – Golden State’s Stephen Curry (2015, 2016) and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo (2019, 2020) – with both teams looking to return to the Finals.