Aug. 4 (Bloomberg) -- The 64th National Basketball Association season tips off Oct. 27 with a matchup between the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers before a battle of Los Angeles franchises, with Kobe Bryant facing top draft pick Blake Griffin.
The double-header features two of 53 regular-season games televised by Time Warner Inc.’s TNT network, the NBA said in a news release. ESPN will show 75 games this season, ABC will carry 15 and NBA TV will televise 96.
Walt Disney Co.’s ABC and ESPN will carry five games on Christmas Day: the Miami Heat at New York Knicks; the Celtics at the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic; the Cavaliers and reigning league Most Valuable Player LeBron James at the Lakers, with 2007-08 MVP Bryant; the Clippers at the Phoenix Suns; and the Denver Nuggets at the Portland Trail Blazers.
Games between the defending-champion Lakers and the Magic will be nationally televised. The first is Jan. 18, the Martin Luther King holiday, in Los Angeles, while Orlando will host a March 7 meeting. The Lakers beat Orlando in five games in June to claim the NBA title.
On opening night, 12-time All-Star Shaquille O’Neal will debut with the Cavaliers against the Celtics. The Lakers then will receive their championship rings prior to facing the Clippers in the professional debut of Griffin, the top selection in June’s NBA draft.
The regular season concludes April 14.
To contact the reporter on this story: Mason Levinson in New York at mlevinson@bloomberg.net.
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