Schedule for the 2024-25 NBA season released

Thursday was another big day on the NBA calendar, as the league 80 of the 82 regular season games each team will play. The two games not included depend on the results of the Emirates NBA Cup (formerly known as the In-Season Tournament), which will impact Week 8 of the schedule.

Twenty-eight of the 30 teams will play two games this week that count for fantasy (and league record) purposes. Eight of those will advance to the quarterfinals on December 10 and 11, and the other 22 will play against opponents to be determined by the league. The semifinals will be played in Las Vegas on December 14. There's also a small surprise that should be of interest to fantasy managers who have Knicks or Raptors players on their roster.

These two teams will face off on Monday, December 9th in a game that is not part of the NBA Cup. This means the Knicks and Raptors will play three games that count for fantasy basketball this week, while the rest of the league will get two games. The championship game is scheduled for Tuesday, December 17th, and this game (as was the case last season) will not count toward league win/loss records or statistics.

Here are some takeaways from the schedule announcement and how it will impact fantasy basketball.

– The champion Celtics only play 13 back-to-backs

The league average for back-to-backs per team is up slightly from last season and now stands at 14.9. One team that falls short of that number is Boston, which has 13 back-to-backs to deal with. That will be important for the team's frontcourt, as Kristaps Porzingis will be out for 5-6 months after having left leg surgery over the summer. Add to that the fact that Al Horford didn't play both ends of a back-to-back last season, and the veteran center's fantasy value may have remained intact to some degree. Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman Sr. will provide value on nights when Porzingis and Horford are unavailable.

– Six teams will play 16 back-to-back games

Cleveland, Houston, the Clippers, Oklahoma City, Sacramento and Utah have 16 consecutive games in their respective schedules, and the Clippers may be the most concerning in fantasy terms due to Kawhi Leonard's medical history. While he played in 68 regular-season games in the 2023-24 season, lingering knee problems ultimately sidelined him for the final stretch. With Paul George out of the game, Leonard staying healthy is even more important for a team looking to compete in the West. Having a new arena to call their own may not have given the Clippers the schedule boost they were hoping for.

– Lakers among seven teams with 13 back-to-backs

This is a pretty big deal for LeBron James and Anthony Davis, given the load they'll have to handle for the Lakers. Coming off an Olympic gold medal, the few back-to-backs should benefit them, especially considering how grueling the West is expected to be this season. Also boasting 13 back-to-backs – a league low – were Boston (as mentioned above), Dallas, Detroit, Chicago, Orlando and Portland. The Magic, one of the league's up-and-coming young teams, have struggled with injuries to several rotation players in the past. Could the schedule make Jonathan Isaac a player worth taking a shot on in the late rounds of the draft?

– Seven teams play the fewest games in the league in weeks 23-25 ​​with 10

Unless you are in a league that plays in accordance with the NBA’s regular season schedule (which ends with Week 26), Weeks 23-25 ​​(Basketball Monster has a nice grille right here) is the playoff period in head-to-head leagues with three rounds. The number of games is crucial, and seven teams will play 10 games (instead of 11 or 12) in this section.

Denver, Detroit, Houston, Minnesota, New Orleans, Portland and Utah are those teams, with the Nuggets (Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray), Timberwolves (Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns) and Pelicans (Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray) being the most notable. Of those seven, Denver, Houston, Portland and Utah play just three games in Week 25, while the others play four games each.

On the other hand, the Lakers, Knicks, Kings and Wizards all have 12 games scheduled during those three weeks. Managers looking for streamers during those playoff games should check out those rosters before looking elsewhere.

– The abolition of phases in which teams play four games in five nights

Tim Reynolds' tweet above indicates that no team should play four games in five nights. And the noise you hear is fantasy managers cheering, as this should (in theory) increase player availability. While it should be relatively “easy” by now to figure out which players are more likely to get a night off than others, not having to take this into account should help when building fantasy rosters.

Also of note is that teams are not playing the day before or after a “high-profile, nationally televised game.” That may have been done with the league's television partners in mind, but it's also good news for fantasy basketball. The Lakers (39 games) and Warriors (36) lead the list of nationally televised games.