What the Warriors are taking away from the 2024-25 schedule

The Warriors open their season on the road, continue their annual holiday tradition and are set to welcome Klay Thompson back to Chase Center early in the season.

Golden State has key matchups against the defending champion Celtics in November, a rematch of last year’s play-in tournament against the Kings in January, the All-Star Game at home amid a tough February. They’ll play the Lakers on Christmas and Boston again on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

As usual, the Warriors play each Eastern Conference team twice and each Western Conference team at least three times. They have 14 consecutive games scheduled and 80 total games scheduled, with two more to be added based on the results of the NBA Cup.

Here are the key dates and takeaways from Golden State’s schedule release:

Busy start

Not only are the Warriors opening the season with multiple road games for the first time since 1999, they are also playing seven of their first 10 games overall away from Chase Center.

On October 23, Golden State will open the season in Portland. From there, they will head to Utah to play the Jazz. On October 27, the home opener against the Clippers will be next, followed by two back-to-back home games against the Pelicans.

They then hit the road for five straight games, including a key matchup against Boston on Nov. 6.

The last time the Celtics and Warriors met, Boston demolished the Warriors, 140-88. Jayson Tatum, who was benched by Steve Kerr at the Olympics, and Jaylen Brown, who was not selected for Team USA, could try to score 140 points on their own.

In addition to preparing for a busy start to the season, the Warriors have to sort out Jonathan Kuminga’s extension. Kuminga is eligible to sign a rookie-level extension up until the day before the start of the season. If he doesn’t, he would become a restricted free agent at the end of the year.

The return of Klay Thompson

On November 12, Klay Thompson’s Mavericks are scheduled to arrive at Chase Center.

Thompson, who spent 13 iconic years with the Warriors franchise, left this offseason for Dallas, the defending Western Conference champion.

Thompson, who has never hidden his emotions, might have a hard time not crying after any tribute video the Warriors show on the big screen. The same goes for the thousands of fans who fell in love with the icon over the years.

Thompson’s return marks the start of the NBA Cup for the Warriors. They will play four group stage games before the knockout round or two more games are factored into their schedule.

Holiday pay

For the 12th consecutive season, the Warriors will play on Christmas Day. And for the 12th time in the last 13 years, they will also play on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Steph Curry and LeBron James will square off in the big Christmas Day game. The duo that has defined a generation shined with Team USA in Paris and it’s always a spectacular spectacle. The Christmas Day game between the Lakers and Warriors will begin at 5 p.m. on ABC.

The Warriors’ Martin Luther King Day game is their second meeting with the Celtics. The Jan. 20 contest is scheduled for 2 p.m. on TNT.

Winter is coming

The Warriors will host the All-Star Game at home, but will spend much of the weeks leading up to the Feb. 16 holiday in hotels.

In February, the Warriors have eight road games scheduled, compared to three at Chase Center. A six-game road trip (Utah to Los Angeles, Chicago, Milwaukee, Dallas and Houston) takes them into the All-Star break. Then, shortly after the break, they move to the East Coast for four games in six days.

From early February through March 6, the Warriors are scheduled to play 12 of 15 games on the road.

And that’s before Golden State hits its longest road trip of the season. That distinction would come from March 22 to April 3, when the Warriors head to Atlanta, Miami and New Orleans before returning to the West Coast via San Antonio and Memphis for a six-game road trip.

A lot of history

Thompson’s return will be sentimental, but there are plenty of other matchups where there isn’t as much admiration.

That’s a natural fit for the Warriors, a team that has been at the top of the league for the better part of a decade. And, well, for a team with Draymond Green.

The Warriors’ first matchup against Phoenix will be on Nov. 30. It will be the first time they play former Warrior Kevin Durant and one of Green’s nemeses from last year, center Jusuf Nurkic.

Less than a week later, the Warriors will face a small challenge from Green’s rivals. Dillon Brooks, one of the league’s biggest hecklers, has been trying to get on Green’s nerves ever since he played the Warriors in the Grizzlies’ 2022 playoffs. Brooks’ Rockets will be in town on Dec. 5, the first night of a thrilling back-to-back.

The following night, December 6, the Warriors play Minnesota for the first time this season. The infamous headlock Rudy Gobert’s discontent is just one example of his dislike for the Timberwolves center. Even this summer, Green has photos taken against Gobert on social media and on his podcast. Gobert is certainly not a fan of Green, having hinted that Green intentionally is ejected when Curry is inactive and tweeting‘Insecurity is always loud’ after video of Green punching Jordan Poole emerged.

The rest of December includes two more games against the Timberwolves and another matchup against the Suns.

Next month, on January 5, the Warriors will face the Kings for the first time. Last season, Sacramento eliminated Golden State in the play-in round, which ended Thompson’s time with the franchise on a sour note.

Originally published: August 15, 2024 at 12:11 pm