On Thursday, the NBA released the 2023-24 regular season schedule, which begins on Oct. 23 when the Lakers travel to Denver to face the world-champion Nuggets, and the new-look Suns head to San Francisco to face the Warriors.
The regular-season schedule includes defined dates and opponents for 80 of each team’s 82 games and two games designated as TBD dates and opponents. Those two games for each team, to be played the week of Dec. 4, will be determined based on the results of Group Play games in the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament.
NBA In-Season Tournament
NBA-In-Season Tournament Group Play games for all 30 teams will take place on Tuesdays and Fridays in November, with TNT, ESPN, and NBA TV combining to televise 16 games. Eight teams will advance to the Knockout Rounds, which consist of single-elimination games in the Quarterfinals (Monday, Dec. 4 and Tuesday, Dec. 5), Semifinals (Thursday, Dec. 7), and Championship (Saturday, Dec. 9).
The national broadcast schedule for the Knockout Rounds will be announced later.
Christmas Day
The NBA will feature five games on Christmas Day.
Bucks face the Knicks in New York (noon ET/ESPN).
The two most recent recipients of the Larry O’Brien Trophy will go head-to-head when the 2022 NBA champion Warriors visit the 2023 NBA champion Nuggets (2:30 p.m. ET ESPN/ABC).
Next, the Lakers will host the Celtics (5 p.m. ET/ABC) as the longtime rivals meet on Christmas Day for the first time in 15 years.
The Christmas Day schedule will conclude with two more games on ESPN, with the 76ers taking on the Heat in Miami (8 p.m. ET) and the Mavericks playing the Suns in Phoenix (10:30 p.m. ET).
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
On Monday, Jan. 15, the NBA family will continue the tradition of honoring the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The celebration will include four nationally televised games.
In a TNT doubleheader, the Atlanta Hawks will face the Spurs (3:30 p.m. ET), and the Grizzlies will meet the Warriors (6 p.m. ET) as Atlanta and Memphis continue their traditions of hosting games on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
NBA TV will air two games: Houston Rockets at 76ers (1 p.m. ET) and Oklahoma City Thunder at Lakers (10:30 p.m. ET).
Election Day
For the second consecutive season, no NBA games have been scheduled for Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 7).
All-Star Game
The 2024 NBA All-Star Game will be played on Sunday, Feb. 18, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Final Day of Regular Season
All 30 teams will play on the final day of the regular season (Sunday, Apr. 14). The seven games between Eastern Conference teams will begin at 1 p.m. ET, and the seven games between Western Conference teams and the one cross-conference matchup will start at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Play-In Tournament/Playoffs/NBA Finals
The 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament will take place from Tuesday, Apr. 16 – Friday, Apr. 19, followed by the start of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Saturday, Apr. 20.
Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals is set for Thursday, Jun. 6.
National Television Games
-Golden State Warriors will have the most nationally televised games this season with 41. The Lakers are next with 40, Phoenix has 37, Celtics are fourth with 34, and the Bucks and Nuggets will have 30 apiece.
-2023 NBA Finals rematches between the Nuggets and Heat will occur on Thursday, Feb. 29, in Denver on TNT (10 p.m. ET) and Wednesday, Mar. 13, in Miami on ESPN (7:30 p.m. ET).
-The top two picks in the 2023 NBA Draft – No. 1 pick Wembanyama of the Spurs and No. 2 pick Brandon Miller of the Charlotte Hornets – are scheduled to meet for the first time in the regular season when San Antonio hosts Charlotte on Friday, Jan. 12 on ESPN (10 p.m. ET).
Additional Schedule Highlights
-All 30 teams are scheduled to make at least one appearance on TNT or ESPN in the 2023-24 regular season. The NBA on TNT, ESPN, ABC, and NBA TV will present flexible scheduling throughout the regular season to provide the most compelling matchups to a national audience.
-The team average for back-to-backs involving travel between games has been reduced to a record-low 9.0. The previous low was 9.6 last season.
-Primetime weeknight doubleheaders across TNT (Tuesdays and Thursdays) and ESPN (Wednesdays and Fridays) will again be played at 7:30 p.m. ET/10 p.m. ET except for one instance during the first week of the season.
-ABC will televise 16 games as part of its two weekend series, NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC (which tips off with the Jan. 27 tripleheader during NBA Rivals Week) and NBA Sunday Showcase (which begins with Celtics at Heat on Feb. 11 at 2 p.m. ET).
-NBA TV will feature Center Court throughout the season. In the season debut of the franchise, the Warriors will visit the Pelicans on Monday, Oct. 30 (8 p.m. ET).
-The 2024 NBA Finals and the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals will be exclusively televised by ABC and ESPN/ABC, respectively. TNT will exclusively televise the 2024 Western Conference Finals.
Complete NBA Schedule:
2023-24 NBA SCHEDULE BY DAY (PDF)
The NBA season concluded on Monday as the Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat in Game five to capture the franchise’s first NBA title.
Nikola Jokic was named Finals MVP.
Unfortunately for the NBA, the 2023 NBA Finals averaged 11.64 million viewers. That is slightly down from last season’s NBA Finals(Celtics-Warriors), which averaged 12.40 million.
However, there was good news for the league. The 2023 NBA Playoffs across ABC, ESPN, and TNT averaged 5.47 million viewers, making it the most-watched playoffs in five years.
The championship-clinching Game 5 averaged 13.08 million viewers, up 1% vs. last year’s Game 5, and peaked at 17.88 million viewers at 11 p.m. ET.
The ratings being down for the Finals is not surprising when considering the teams involved and how many games the series went. A Lakers/Celtics Finals would have rated higher because it’s a classic rivalry, and of course, you have LeBron James.
The 2023 NBA Draft is on June 22.
It took the Denver Nuggets 47 years to get to this point, but it’s better late than never! On Monday, the Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat 94-89 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to capture the team’s first NBA title.
The Nuggets won the series 4-1, and now they celebrate in Denver. Nikola Jokic was named Finals MVP.
There are many ways to get to an NBA title; some build through free agency, others build through the draft, and for the Nuggets, their path to a championship was through the draft.
Denver’s top three players came through the draft. Jokic was a second-round pick in 2014; Jamal Murray was the seventh overall pick in 2016, and Michael Porter Jr. was the 14th overall pick in 2018.
Unfortunately, injuries hurt this time. Murray(knee) and Porter Jr.(back) missed significant time, which hurt this team’s title chances, but the organization stayed patient, and good things happen to those who wait.
“I came here when I was 20,” Jokic, who led the NBA in points, rebounds, and assists in the playoffs, said. “Jamal came here when he was 21? (19). Yes, the core, but if you want to be a success, you need a couple years. You need to be bad, then you need to be good, then when you’re good, you need to fail, and then when you fail, you’re going to figure it out. I think experience is something that is not what happened to you. It’s what you’re going to do with what happened to you.
“Yes, Jamal was injured. Yes, we lose the first round or second round in the Playoffs… But there is a process that you need to — there is steps that you need to fill, and there is no shortcuts. It’s a journey, and I’m glad that I’m part of the journey.”
Murray, who missed the better part of two seasons with a torn ACL, was emotional after winning his first NBA title.
“Everything was hitting. Everything was hitting at once, from the journey to the celebration with the guys to enjoying the moment, to looking back on the rehab, to looking back at myself as a kid, as the other viewer, looking from the crowd in or from the camera lens in, and now looking back at them,” Murray said. “It was a lot. I couldn’t hold it in. It was just something I’ve been working for my whole life.
“I think Mike said it, Porter. Every real hooper wants to be on this stage and play in the game and be in this moment. To see it full circle, going from my rehab, not being able to walk, go up the stairs, not just for a month or two. It was for a long time. A lot of different things going through my head. A lot of tears. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears, and real ones.”
From start to finish, the Nuggets were the best basketball team. After years of injuries and disappointment, Denver finally breaks through. None of that happens without patience.
The Denver Nuggets are one win away from their first NBA title in franchise history after they defeated the Miami Heat 108-95 in Game 4 of the NBA Finals in Miami on Friday night to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.
Game 5 is Monday night in Denver.
Denver, who won their fifth straight road playoff game, played a good portion of the fourth without Nikola Jokic due to foul trouble. With Jokic on the bench, the Nuggets, who led most of the game, got some big buckets from Jamal Murray(15 points and 12 assists) and Bruce Brown(11 of his 21 points in the fourth).
However, it wasn’t Jokic(23 points and 12 rebounds) or Murray that led the way; it was Aaron Gordon! He had a game-high 27 points(11/15 FG, 3/4 3 PT FG) with seven rebounds and six assists.
Gordon came to Denver in 2021 via a trade from the Magic, and he was able to fit right into what the Nuggets are doing. Gordon has defended Jimmy Butler throughout this series and has done a lot of dirty work for this team.
“I felt like I was going to be a defender for this team, a defenseman for this team,” Gordon said. “I knew they could score. MPJ, one of the best shooters on earth. You’ve got a two-time MVP in Joker that can do everything on offense. You’ve got Jamal Murray, that can go for 50 on any given night. I knew I was coming in to play defense and make their job easy. That’s what I like to do. I like to play defense. That’s my niche. That’s how I came into the league, defensive-minded.
Nuggets Michael Malone was proud of Gordon, who scored 15 of his 27 points in the second quarter.
“Aaron did it all for us tonight,” he said. “He really did. We’ve seen that now in four games in the Finals where Aaron has had moments where he has carried us offensively. He made threes tonight, obviously, which is always a good thing, but I couldn’t be more proud of Aaron Gordon and his impact across the board tonight.
Jokic is impressed with the sacrifices Gordon has to make to fit in with the Nuggets.
“You know, he’s playing a different role, and that’s why he sacrificed himself, and that’s why he’s a great teammate, and that’s why he won us the game today,” Jokic said about Gordon. “I think if you sacrifice yourself for something bigger than yourself, the team, whatever, he sacrifices himself, and that’s why I think the one upstairs gave him the game today, gave him the game that he had. He was our best player on the floor, and guarding the best player every night, that’s a tough job, and maybe he’s not going to get a lot of credit, but we know what he’s doing for our team, and we’re really thankful for him, and we appreciate him a lot.”
Murray says Gordon was brought to Denver to do what he’s doing now.
“That’s why we got him,” Murray said. “He’s a dog. He’s strong. He’s physical. He’s tough. He’s chill. He brings everybody together off the court, and he’s a selfless player. He’s been solid this whole Playoffs, this whole season, the whole time he’s been here. He’s been great. He just wants to win. We all want to win. I think we’re all helping each other try to accomplish our goals.”
The Nuggets are a cohesive unit, which is one of the reasons they are one game away from an NBA championship.
After three quarters, the Denver Nuggets were on their way to a 2-0 series lead in the NBA Finals. Denver led by as many as 15 points in this game and took an eight-point lead into the fourth.
However, the Miami Heat would outscore the Nuggets 36-25 in the fourth and defeat the Nuggets 111-108 on Sunday night in Denver.
The series is tied at one, and Game 3 will be Wednesday night in Miami.
The Heat’s comeback started when they inserted Duncan Robinson to start the fourth; he went on a personal 8-0 run and scored all 10 of his points in the first two minutes of the quarter; the Heat went on a 13-2 run and never trailed the rest of the way.
Robinson, who scored only three points on 1/6 shooting in 21 minutes in Game 1, set the tone for the Heat in the final stanza, and they don’t win Game 2 without him.
“Yeah, I mean, to be honest, I had not done much in the first game, and then the first half of this game, we talk a lot about trying not to have empty minutes,” Robinson said. “So just trying to play with a certain level of aggressiveness on offense just to at least be out there and have my presence felt.
“Obviously, it helps when the ball goes in, which you can’t always control. But, you know, just really about taking the right shots and just being aggressive.”
Kevin Love, who started Game 2 and had six points and 10 rebounds, added on Robinson: “It’s a beautiful thing to see. We needed all of those contributions tonight.”
In 2021, Robinson signed a five-year, $90 million contract, and last season, he did not play much in the playoffs. His minutes have been down this season, and according to Robinson, the previous two seasons made what happened on Sunday even more rewarding.
“It’s certainly gratifying,” he said. “Gives you a newfound perspective and appreciation just for opportunity and this journey, understanding that you kind of go through stretches where you’re going to have challenges and you’re going to have to deal with adversity and overcome it.
“It’s not always storybook in that sense, and you don’t always get when you want, and just kind of learning how to deal with that and push through that, I think obviously it makes moments like this more enjoyable, but I think it also just makes you more grateful to have opportunities on this stage. Try not to take it for granted, and yeah, you know, just go out there and enjoy myself and have fun and try to help this team win games.”
Miami still has more work to do, but if they win this series, many will point to Robinson’s 10-point spurt in the fourth quarter in Game 2.
Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets made their NBA Finals debut on Thursday night in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, and they did not disappoint. Jokic had a triple-double with games highs of 27 points and 14 assists, to go along with 10 rebounds, as the Nuggets handled the Heat 104-93 at Ball Arena.
Jokic didn’t do it alone, as Jamal Murray added 26 points, six rebounds, and 10 assists. The Nuggets led by as many as 24 points.
The two-time league MVP got open looks for many of his teammates; Denver had five players in double figures, so if Jokic wasn’t scoring, he was helping others to get off, which made Denver’s offense tough to stop.
“That’s how I learned to play basketball, and I think it’s really nice to play — it’s really hard to guard when you don’t know who’s going to attack and how to defend when everybody is moving, everybody is doing something,” Jokic said. “I think it’s a really nice brand of basketball that we have, and everybody buys in. I’m not sure that I did that for us or whatever, but I think everybody contributed, and everybody accepted it.”
Murray agreed with Jokic; Denver can attack teams in many ways.
“If they take the pocket away, we’re looking somewhere else,” Murray said. “If they take me away, then we’re looking somewhere else. We’re just trying to find the open man, find the best shot, find the mismatch. I think we do that throughout the game. So, it’s hard to guard everybody, instead of just one or two guys.
“We make you have to be locked in on defense throughout the game. I think tonight was just a great example of it could be anybody’s night and anybody’s quarter, maybe not your quarter. That’s just Nuggets basketball.”
The Nuggets had 29 assists on 40 field goals; Murray and Jokic had 24 of those 29 assists, and the combo became the third teammates to each record 10-plus assists in a Finals game.
Nuggets basketball is pretty, and if Jokic and Murray continue to play like this, Denver will be tough to beat in these Finals, but Miami will adjust, and we will see what they do in Game 2 on Sunday night.
Notes:
Aaron Gordon scored 12 of his 16 points in the first quarter; Michael Porter Jr. added 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 26 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists; Gabe Vincent chipped in with 19 points.
The Phoenix Suns 2022-23 season ended on Thursday night as they were routed by the Nuggets at home 125-100 in Game 6 of their Western Conference semifinals series.
Denver wins the series 4-2.
The Suns, without Deandre Ayton(rib) and Chris Paul(groin), trailed by as many as 32 points.
Phoenix, whose season ended last season in blowout fashion by the Mavericks in Game 7 in the second round, went down without much resistance. Ironically, in this game and Game 7 against Dallas, where they lost 123-90, the Suns trailed by 30 points at the break.
Even with the injuries, losing the way they lost and losing in the second round is a disappointment for the Suns.
“It was a bad feeling,” Durant said of the loss. “Embarrassing.”
After he was acquired from the Nets in February, Durant missed time due to injury, and the Suns really needed more time to build chemistry. It’s no excuse, but it’s the reality of the situation.
The 34-year-old says he will work hard in the offseason and will do whatever the organization needs him to do.
“I just try to control what I can, which is working extremely hard,” Durant said. “Putting a lot of preparation into the game and my skill. Then just being present for the organization whenever they need me at any point, just making sure my phone is open. The dialogue is there; I am sure we will check in with each other throughout the whole summer. I just think my job is to continue to keep getting better and keep finding ways to get better as a player.”
Phoenix still has a formidable team going forward. Durant, Devin Booker, and Ayton are under contract, but based on how the season ended, you wonder if they will move on from Ayton. Regarding the 38-year-old Paul, he has a partial guarantee for the 2023-24 season, and maybe he could be on the move as well.
You may also have to question whether Monty Williams is safe after two straight second-round exits. On the surface, it appears he would return, but anything can happen.
This team could look different, but the core is still solid.
Joel Embiid is a special player who has had a memorable season, and that memorable season was recognized.
On Tuesday, the NBA announced today that Embiid has been named the 2022-23 NBA Most Valuable Player.
Two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic finished second.
The six-time All-Star is the first 76er to capture league MVP honors since Allen Iverson did it in 2001, and the Cameroon native is the seventh international player to be named MVP.
Currently, Embiid, who led the 76ers to a 54-28 regular season, the team’s best since 2000-01, is sidelined with a knee injury, but Philly was able to defeat the Celtics in Boston 119-115 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference second-round series on Monday night.
This season, the 29-year-old led the NBA in scoring for the second consecutive season, averaging 33.1 points and adding 10.2 rebounds per contest; he is the first NBA player to win consecutive scoring titles since teammate James Harden (three straight, 2017-20), and the third player in NBA history to average at least 33 points and 10.2 rebounds on 54% shooting from the floor.
Defensively, the six-year veteran posted 1.7 blocks (seventh in the NBA) and 1.0 steals per outing. He and 2022-23 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. were the only two players in the league this season to average at least 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steals.
76ers Managing Partner Josh Harris:
“I’ve watched Joel grow and evolve into one of the greatest players in 76ers franchise history over the last nine years. Today is a proud day for our organization as Joel becomes the fifth Sixer ever to capture League MVP honors. Joel overcame adversity at the start of his career with a combination of perseverance and grit, and now, his intense work ethic has pushed him into the NBA history books. It’s been a joy to watch him dedicate himself to the team and the city of Philadelphia. Congratulations to Joel, our fans, and our city on an honor we will always remember.”
76ers head coach Doc Rivers:
“Let me start by saying I am absolutely thrilled for Joel on winning the MVP award. He is the real deal and deserves every bit of recognition that comes his way. He embodies everything that the honor stands for. His drive to improve is unmatched, and like the saying ‘a dream doesn’t become reality through magic, it takes hard work’, he’s put in the work. What’s most impressive is the why. He puts in the work because he wants to be a winner. This MVP award is part of that journey. While this may be an individual award, in many ways it’s also a team award. Joel’s teammates have been unbelievable in contributing to his success. I couldn’t be prouder of all of them. It takes a village. From our staff, our coaches, our players and the entire organization, congratulations to the big fella.”
76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey:
“I’ve always believed that greatness emerges when talent meets relentless dedication. Joel’s season was legendary, and the MVP award is the latest milestone of his decorated career. His impact on both sides of the ball places him in rarified air among all-time greats such as Hakeem, Kareem and Wilt. It has been a privilege to watch Joel over the last three seasons and I know this won’t be his last accomplishment as we continue to strive toward our ultimate goal of winning an NBA championship.”
If you had any doubts about who would be the MVP of the 2022-23 NBA season, those doubts might have been put to rest after what we saw on Tuesday night.
Against the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers All-Star center Joel Embiid was special! He finished with 52 points on 20-of-25 shooting, 13 rebounds, and six assists as the Philly defeated the Celtics for the first time in four games this season, 103-101 at Wells Fargo Center.
According to StatHead, Embiid joins Wilt Chamberlain (twice) as the only players in the history of the NBA with 50-10-5 on 80-percent-or-better shooting. In addition, Embiid has three 50-point double-doubles this season, tied for the most such games in the NBA this season.
76ers head coach Doc Rivers has seen enough; Embiid, not two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic is the league MVP.
“We couldn’t make shots,” Rivers said. “We had guys making shots with open shots. The man scored half our points in an NBA game. And I’m biased, but the MVP race is over.”
Embiid agrees with Rivers but is also disappointed with how Philly, who was sloppy down the stretch, closed the game against the Celtics.
“They’re probably right, but we got bigger goals,” Embiid said. “Like I said, they’re probably right, but we got bigger goals in mind. You know, we understand we got a chance, but it’s not gonna be easy. Tonight, for me, was kind of disappointing because we found so many ways to lose the game, and that’s on all of us.”
At this point, Embiid, who is averaging a league-best 33.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.7 blocks per contest, has made an excellent case for MVP, but so has Jokic. However, Embiid has the momentum and elevated his game to the next level, so to Rivers’ point, the race for MVP is over.
LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo were named captains in the 2023 All-Star Game at Vivint Arena in Utah, the league announced Thursday.
In the East, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Donovan Mitchell were named starters, while in the West, James will be joined by Nikola Jokic, Zion Williamson, Luka Doncic, and Stephen Curry in the starting lineup.
James(7,418,116), who made his NBA-record-tying 19th All-Star appearance, was the leading vote-getter overall, and Antetokounmpo(6,761,032) was the leading vote-getter in the East.
Fans, current NBA players, and a media panel selected starters for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game. Fans accounted for 50 percent of the vote to determine the starters, while players and media accounted for 25 percent each.
Each player’s score was calculated by averaging his weighted rank from the fan votes, the player votes and the media votes. The two guards and three frontcourt players with the best score in each conference were named NBA All-Star Game starters.
The All-Star reserves will be named on February 2, and the NBA All-Star game will take place on February 19. On that night, James and Antetokounmpo will select their teammates.
Notes:
-At 23, Doncic joins Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, Isiah Thomas, and Anthony Davis as the only players to earn four All-Star nods before their 24th birthday.
-This is Mitchell’s fourth NBA All-Star selection and his first time being selected as a starter.
-Williamson, who is also an All-Star starter for the first time his career, becomes the fourth New Orleans player to be voted a starter, joining Chris Paul (twice), Anthony Davis (x3), and DeMarcus Cousins.
