Rivalries, returns and rookies: The NBA games you can’t miss for 2022-23on August 17, 2022 at 9:34 pm

The NBA’s 2022-23 schedule is here, and the league won’t waste any time delivering fans some star-studded showdowns.

Opening week is stacked, with the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics hosting the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 18 — the first night of the season — followed by the Los Angeles Lakers looking to spoil ring night for the NBA champion Golden State Warriors.

The following night features four teams with massive questions hovering over them. Zion Williamson is slated to return after an injured foot sidelined him for the entire 2021-22 campaign. His New Orleans Pelicans face the Brooklyn Nets, the league’s biggest newsmaker this summer.

Oct. 19 also features a rematch of the Western Conference semifinals between the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks. The last time these teams faced off, Dallas blitzed Phoenix in Game 7 to reach the West finals. Luka Doncic and the Mavs will showcase a retooled backcourt after free agent Jalen Brunson signed with the New York Knicks last month.

And those are just the first two nights! Throughout the season, there will be plenty more playoff rematches, reunion games, rookie showdowns and battles that could help decide the race for MVP.

Here are the games we can’t wait to see in 2022-23.

Note: This list of games does not include the NBA’s five Christmas Day games, which are previewed here.

Grand opening: Star-studded first-week matchups

Philadelphia 76ers at Boston CelticsOct. 18, 7:30 p.m. ET TNT

In three games in Cleveland since joining the Lakers (a fourth was canceled because of the league’s COVID-19 hiatus), LeBron James has averaged 38.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists in three wins back in his native Northeast Ohio. With James entering his 20th season, there are precious few games left for him in The Land, which makes this a must-see matchup. — Dave McMenamin

Boston Celtics at Los Angeles LakersDec. 13, 10 p.m. ET