The 2021-22 NBA season is slated to begin on Oct. 19, which is about two months away.
To get prepared for the new calendar year, the NBA is soon announcing the full 82-game schedule for all teams as the league hopes to return to a normal season after a truncated 2020-21 campaign.
For the Los Angeles Lakers, there’s already been a glimpse of what to expect for Christmas Day. It’s been reported the Lakers will face off against the Brooklyn Nets in a heavyweight matchup between two of the favorites from each conference.
Another key date for primetime games is opening day. Last year, the Lakers took on the L.A. Clippers in a Battle of Los Angeles showdown, which the Clippers won, 116-109.
For the new season, it appears the Lakers will be one of the teams playing again. According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Lakers and Golden State Warriors will go head-to-head:
Per league source, the 75th regular season will tip off on @NBAonTNT like this on Oct. 19…
* Brooklyn at Milwaukee
* Warriors at Lakers
Yes, please…
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) August 17, 2021
The Warriors also played on opening day last season against the Brooklyn Nets, though they’ll have the highly anticipated return of Klay Thompson to look forward to this time around.
Both Golden State and Los Angeles faced off last season in the riveting play-in tournament game, which drew the highest ratings on ESPN in a few years. LeBron James’ last-minute three was the dagger in a game where Stephen Curry couldn’t be stopped.
Now, it will be Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis and James against Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green as the key trio for each side.
