NBA releases National TV schedule for Christmas (Lebron vs Doncic), opening night

The NBA today announced its national television schedule for the first three game days of the 2020-21 season: an opening-night doubleheader on TNT on Tuesday, Dec. 22, one game each on TNT and ESPN on Wednesday, Dec. 23, and five Christmas Day games across ESPN and ABC on Friday, Dec. 25.

The complete game schedule and broadcast schedules for TNT, ESPN, ABC, NBA TV and ESPN Radio for the First Half of the regular season (Dec. 22, 2020 – March 4, 2021) will be announced on Friday, Dec. 4.

Kia NBA Tip-Off 2020 will begin on Tuesday, Dec. 22 with a TNT doubleheader as the Golden State Warriors visit the Brooklyn Nets at 7 p.m. ET and the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers take on the LA Clippers at 10 p.m. ET.  TNT will present an opening-night doubleheader for the 25th consecutive season, marking Turner Sports’ 37th straight year of NBA coverage.

On Wednesday, Dec. 23, the Milwaukee Bucks will visit the Boston Celtics at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT and the Phoenix Suns will host the Dallas Mavericks at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.  The Suns-Mavericks matchup will tip off ESPN’s 19th consecutive year of NBA coverage.

The NBA will feature five games on Christmas Day (Friday, Dec. 25) for the 13th year in a row, with ESPN or ABC televising each matchup.

The 73rd edition of the NBA on Christmas Day will begin on ESPN with the defending Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat hosting the New Orleans Pelicans (12 p.m. ET).  ABC’s coverage will start with the Warriors visiting the Bucks (2:30 p.m. ET), followed by the Celtics hosting the Nets (5 p.m. ET).  Next, ABC and ESPN will both televise a matchup between the Lakers and Mavericks in Los Angeles (8 p.m. ET).  The Christmas Day schedule will conclude on ESPN as the Clippers visit the Denver Nuggets (10:30 p.m. ET) in a rematch of a 2020 Western Conference Semifinals series.

Below is the national television schedule for the first three game days of the 2020-21 season.