The NBA released the first batch of games this week, with the Los Angeles Lakers being a frequent player on the league’s marquee days.
Earlier this week, the NBA released the schedule for the opening week of the season, as well as their two most prominent days of basketball: Christmas Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. These days always seem to have enticing matchups between the marquee stars and teams in the league, and this year is no exception.
The Los Angeles Lakers found themselves playing on the national stage even with their on-court product floundering in recent seasons, but with the addition of LeBron James and the team on the upswing, they will play in the primetime slot on Christmas and MLK Day against an opponent very familiar with LeBron on these particular days.
The Lakers open their season on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, Oct. 18, and then continue that Saturday with their home debut, taking on the Houston Rockets. The other games that have been officially released are the previously mentioned Christmas Day and MLK day games against the Golden State Warriors, which will be LeBron’s fourth straight season matching up with the Dubs on these days.
The other date that leaked out recently is LeBron’s first and (likely) only trip to Cleveland this season when the Lakers take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Nov. 21. This was reported by Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
LeBron James will make his return to Cleveland to play the Cavs for the first time as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 21, league sources tell ESPN.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) August 8, 2018
With most of the initial takeaways centered around LeBron, the Lakers have five games set in stone on their calendar, each with its own level of intrigue. These are my three takeaways from the early release.