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The 2023-24 NBA regular season is scheduled to begin on October 24 and run to April 14, 2024. According to the available schedule, the playoffs will kick off in April 2023 and end in June with the Finals. This year marks the 78^th installment of the national tournaments, and teams and fans alike are gearing up for action. Here is a look at what you should know about the 2023-24 NBA season. 

Initial Schedule

The recently-released schedule includes the opening night and Christmas Day events. On kick-off day (October 24), defending champion Denver Nuggets will host the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Phoenix Suns will go up against the host Golden State Warriors. The Christmas Day showcase will feature five matches. These are Nuggets vs. Warriors, Suns vs. Dallas Mavericks, Lakers vs. Celtics, Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers, and New York Knicks vs. Milwaukee Bucks. You can review game stats and predictions for these games on these top betting sites in Nigeria before game day.

Notable Events

The 2023-24 season is full of exciting surprises and events. For one, star draft Victor Wembanyama will be making his debut on October 24 in the San Antonio Spurs vs. Dallas Mavericks match. Wembanyama has been called “the most exciting NBA prospect since LeBron James.” 

Speaking of whom, LeBron will be playing against Kevin Durant for the first time since 2018. On November 1, the Lakers and Clippers will play in their first-ever matchup. Miami Heat will also be in Denver for a 2023 NBA Finals rematch on February 29.

In-Season Tournament

This year will introduce the In-Season Tournament. Essentially, all the games except the final will count toward the standings in the regular season. This new model draws inspiration from the in-season competitions in European football and the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup.

Under the new model, the tournament will feature six intraconference pools of five teams each. In November, Tuesdays, and Fridays will host group games against members of the same pool, all of which will count as regular season matches.  

After the group games, the winners of every pool, plus two wild-card teams, will play in a single-elimination tournament. The tournament winners will receive $500,000 per player.

Recent Retirements

The 2023-24 NBA season is set for some changes. On June 14 this year, Ekpe Udoh officially retired from professional play and will become assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks. Lou Williams retired four days after Udoh, with Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem retiring on July 28. 

Arenas

Speaking of changes, the Los Angeles Clippers will be moving to the new Intuit Dome next season, so this will be their last season at Crypto.com Arena. The semifinals and finals will be held in Las Vegas.

Wrapping Up

The NBA is expected to release the rest of the regular season schedule soon. Meanwhile, we know that the in-season tournament will kick off on November 3. All teams will play four games that will count in the tournament and as regular season matches.