It all starts October 28th on TNT with the NBA reigning champion San Antonio Spurs hosting the Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas Mavericks. The telecast will feature the Spurs receiving their championship rings. Later in the evening TNT will feature the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the Houston Rockets.
The next night (Oct. 29th), ESPN will televise their own doubleheader with the first contest between the Chicago Bulls led by Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah visiting the Kicks at Madison Square Garden as Carmelo Anthony returns to New York after a tumultuous off-season. Game two finds the reigning MVP Kevin Durant and his Oklahoma Thunder team traveling to Portland to play the Trail Blazers.
Thursday, October 30th TNT will bring the return of LeBron James to Cleveland as they host the New York Knicks in the first game and feature the Los Angeles Clippers playing host to the OKC Thunder.
Back to ESPN on October 31st, they will have another doubleheader with the Chicago Bulls hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers and will be followed by the Lakers and Clippers meeting in Los Angeles.
Another big attraction will be the Christmas Day five-pack of basketball as ESPN has the Knicks and Wizards at Madison Square Garden followed by ABC showing the Spurs and Thunder. In game two, ABC will bring viewers the Cavaliers traveling to Miami for the LeBron reunion game. TNT gets into the act as the Lakers play in Chicago to take on the Bulls followed by Stephen Curry’s Warriors facing Blake Griffin’s Clippers for the nightcap.
At the completion of the season TNT will have televised 53 regular-season games with most of them on Thursday evenings and ESPN will have 75 games with the majority being shown on Wednesdays and Fridays.