It’s been a fantastic few months for the Boston Celtics.
Not only did they win a record-breaking 18th championship with their victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals in June, three of their players – Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White – also won a gold medal last week with the U.S. national basketball team at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
And it won’t be long before the entire Celtics team is back on the court to defend their title.
The schedule for the 2024-25 NBA season was released on Thursday. The first game of the year is a duel between the Celtics and the New York Knicks at TD Garden, where Boston will raise its 2024 championship banner and receive its rings.
The Celtics have a rather loose schedule to start with. Only three of their first ten opponents (Knicks, Bucks, Pacers) made it to the first round of the 2024 playoffs.
Notable games include a finals rematch against the Mavericks on January 25 (in Dallas) and February 6 (in Boston). Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets come to Boston on March 2. Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs play their only game on February 12 at the Garden. The two games against LeBron James and the Lakers are on January 23 (in LA) and March 8 (in Boston).
The Celtics will also be featured in one of the five games on Christmas Day, hosting the 76ers at 5 p.m. ET. The C’s will play the Raptors on New Year’s Eve at 3 p.m. ET.
The Celtics’ longest home streak is six games in March, including meetings with the Nuggets, 76ers, Lakers and Thunder. Their longest road streak also comes in March: six games against Western Conference opponents, including Marcus Smart’s Grizzlies.
The season-long tournament, now known as the Emirates NBA Cup, returns, with the group stage beginning in November. The C’s are in a group with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks.
Here is a summary of their group stage games (all times ET):
- November 12, 7 p.m.: Celtics vs. Hawks
- November 19, 7 p.m.: Celtics vs. Cavs
- November 22, 7 p.m.: Celtics at Wizards
- November 29, 7 p.m.: Celtics at Bulls
The knockout phase (quarterfinals, semifinals, final) of the NBA Cup takes place in December.
The trade deadline is February 6. The last day of the regular season is April 13. The play-in tournament will be April 15-18. The 2025 playoffs begin on April 19.
The last team to repeat was the Golden State Warriors in 2016–17 and 2017–18. The Celtics’ last consecutive titles were in 1967–68 and 1968–69.
Check out the Celtics’ full 2024-25 regular season schedule below.
