Breaking down Knicks’ 2024-25 NBA regular season schedule

The new NBA season is just a couple of months away, and the league announced its full schedule Thursday afternoon, giving Knicks fans a full glimpse into what’s to come.

Let’s dive into all 82 games and see what the top matchups, toughest stretches and key games are for New York…

Top matchups

Tuesday, Oct. 22 at the Boston Celtics

Knicks vs. Celtics has become a go-to opening night matchup for the NBA, and for good reason. These two teams seemingly always put on a show, and New York will want to stake their claim right out of the gates with this new-look roster, while Boston tries to defend home court on ring night.

Friday, Oct. 25 vs. the Indiana Pacers

No better way to set The Garden ablaze from the tip than avenging the Knicks’ second-round loss to the Pacers. Jalen Brunson will be surrounded by much more help this time, but Indiana is no pushover.

Tuesday, Nov. 12 at the Philadelphia 76ers

In New York’s first glance at the new-look 76ers, now boasting Paul George on the wing, they also open up their NBA Cup Group Play. As the rest of their group is much weaker, and the Knicks knocked this Philly team out of last year’s first round, this one will have a lot of extra juice around it.

Wednesday, Dec. 25 vs. the San Antonio Spurs

Victor Wembanyama comes into town after a ho-hum Madison Square Garden debut last season, only this time around it’s on Christmas Day. The Knicks will hope to spoil the unicorn’s spotlight once again, heading into New Year’s in the right direction.

Friday, Jan. 10 vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder

Not only is this Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder’s lone trip to New York after finishing atop the Western Conference standings last season, but it also marks the return of Isaiah Hartenstein, who left the Knicks for OKC this summer in free agency.

While the crowd isn’t likely to jeer him for taking double what New York could offer him, it will be an intense atmosphere for a high-quality showdown.

Wednesday, Jan. 29 vs. the Denver Nuggets

Speaking of MVP candidates coming to town, Nikola Jokic makes his lone New York appearance later in the month. Last time they visited, the Knicks smoked the Nuggets fresh off their trade for OG Anunoby, and will look to repeat that result this time around.

Saturday, Feb. 1 vs. the Los Angeles Lakers

They may not be the toughest foe the Knicks face, but whenever LeBron James comes to town, The Garden is ready to go.

Tuesday, March 4 vs. the Golden State Warriors

Speaking of legends coming to town, Stephen Curry returns to the building where he became the all-time three-point leader in early March.

Tuesday, March 25 vs. the Dallas Mavericks

Testing yourself against the reigning Western Conference champions is a solid measuring stick, and the Knicks get that chance down the stretch of their season when Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving make their only trip to Madison Square Garden.

Key dates

• Sept. 30: Media Day

• Oct. 22: Opening Night

• Dec. 10-11: NBA Cup Quarterfinals

• Dec. 14: NBA Cup Semifinals

• Dec. 17: NBA Cup Championship

• Feb. 6: NBA Trade Deadline

• Feb. 14-16: All-Star Weekend

• April 19: NBA Playoffs begin

Easiest stretches

Amidst a bunch of early road trips, the Knicks get a nice four-game reprieve in mid-November. They face the Chicago Bulls, the Nets twice and the Washington Wizards, all at home between the 13th and 18th, which should be an easy enough sweep.

Heading into the holidays, New York gets a couple of weeks of softballs, beginning with home games against Toronto and San Antonio. They head on the road to play Orlando and Washington twice, before returning home to face Utah on New Year’s Day.

They follow up with the Thunder, Bulls and Magic before playing the Raptors once again. That’s 11 games where the biggest threats are one OKC matchup and two against the Magic, which they should take advantage of going into a home-heavy January and the ensuing All-Star break.

Toughest stretches

New York gets tested with a road-heavy opening schedule, including a late-November swing through the West’s elite. On Nov. 20th they play the Suns, followed by the Jazz, then go on to face the Nuggets and Mavericks, all on the road.

That’s little compared to their March gauntlet. From Feb. 28th until March 20th they play 11 games, only two of which are at home, including two games against Miami, two against Golden State, both Los Angeles teams, Memphis and Sacramento, leaving little margin for error.

Playoff seeding

If the Knicks find themselves in the middle of a tight playoff seeding race, they’ll have to fight to get ahead down the stretch of the season. Their last 10 games of the year are split evenly between home and road, but feature more contenders than pretenders.

On Friday, March 28th, they take on the Milwaukee Bucks on the road. A home game against Portland provides some relief before they take on Philadelphia at The Garden and Cleveland on the road.

The Hawks are their next matchup followed by the Kevin Durant and Devin Booker-led Phoenix Suns, and then Boston. Finally, they close with Detroit, Cleveland and Brooklyn.