NBA calendar: Lakers-Nets the big game on Christmas Day

The NBA has already set the fixtures for the main dates for next season, which starts on 19 October and runs until 10 April (end of the regular season).

The playin will start two days later on 13 April and goes until 15 April, with the playoffs getting underway on 16 April and running until 19 June, given there is a seventh game in the Finals.

Through senior journalists such as Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon (ESPN), and Sam Amick (The Athletic), the NBA has leaked some of the star fixtures for the regular season’s two biggest dates: the opening day of the championship and Christmas day.

The new season will open with a replay of last season’s Eastern Conference semifinal between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets, with Giannis Antetokounmpo set to face Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden on the same day the NBA will deliver the championship rings to the Bucks.

On the same day, another new chapter of the rivalry between Stephen Curry and LeBron James will be recorded as the Golden State Warriors face the Los Angeles Lakers.

NBA on Christmas day

Five games have been confirmed for Christmas day and Luka Doncic will be in one of them as the Dallas Mavericks will travel to Utah to face the Jazz.

Meanwhile, Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks will return to Madison Square Garden after eliminating the New York Knicks in last season's playoffs.

And finally, the main course on Christmas Day will be the clash of the two great titans of the East and the West, with the Los Angeles Lakers of LeBron, Anthony Davis and Westbrook hosting the ‘Big Three’ of the Brooklyn Nets at the Staples Center.

Two other games complete the holiday: the Milwaukee Bucks take on the Boston Celtics and the Phoenix Suns host the Golden State Warriors.