When Is NBA Opening Night?
The 2020 NBA season is finally upon us. After a long offseason, training camp is underway and the first games are just around the corner. So when is opening night?
NBA regular season starts
The 2020-21 NBA regular season is set to begin on December 22, 2020. The league will celebrate its 75th anniversary during the season. NBA opening night will feature a doubleheader on TNT, with the New York Knicks vs. the Milwaukee Bucks at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the Los Angeles Clippers vs. the Los Angeles Lakers at 10 p.m. ET.
Pre-season games
The NBA regular season typically begins in October. However, pre-season games may be scheduled as early as September, and the final game of the NBA Finals is usually played in June. The actual dates for the NBA season vary from year to year, so it’s important to check the schedule in advance.
The 2017-2018 NBA season began on October 17th, with the first pre-season games taking place on September 30th. The regular season will end on April 11th, 2018, and the playoffs will begin on April 14th. The 2018 NBA Finals will take place between June 5th and June 17th.
NBA All-Star break
The NBA season is long, and fans often find themselves looking forward to the All-Star break as a way to rest and recharge. But for those who love the game, the All-Star break also marks the beginning of the stretch run, when teams really start to jockey for playoff position. And for basketball bettors, it’s a time to take a close look at the NBA odds and see if there are any value bets to be had.
So when is NBA opening night? The answer may surprise you.
While the regular season doesn’t start until October 22, the first games of the season are actually played on October 1, just days after the end of the previous season. These are called “preseason” games, and they don’t count towards a team’s record. However, they can be important for bettors to watch, as they can give clues about how teams have changed since last year and what their strengths and weaknesses might be.
The preseason schedule usually starts with a handful of games on October 1 and 2, then ramps up to a full slate of games on October 6. The preseason continues through early October before culminating with the annual NBA Finals on October 15-16.
NBA playoffs
The NBA playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament among the 16 teams that qualified for the playoffs by having the best record in their respective conferences at the end of the regular season. The tournament ends with the Eastern and Western conference champions playing each other in the NBA Finals.
The first round of the playoffs, or opening night, is scheduled for April 13-21. The second round is scheduled for April 24-May 5. The conference finals are scheduled for May 8-19, and the NBA Finals are scheduled for May 22-June 16.
