Instead of rekindling the Lakers-Clippers or LeBron-Steph rivalries, the NBA is reportedly going with Luka Doncic against the Lakers on Christmas Day.
ESPN reported Tuesday that the NBA plans to schedule Mavericks-Lakers for the featured 8 PM ET window on Christmas Day. It would be the first Dallas game on Christmas since 2011 and just the third since ESPN/ABC acquired NBA rights in 2002.
The Lakers faced the Clippers in the featured Christmas game last year and the Warriors two years ago.
With Dallas taking the featured spot, the Clippers are instead set to face Denver in a playoff rematch at 10:30 PM ET, while the Warriors travel to Milwaukee for an inter-conference matinee at 2:30 PM.
Rounding out the Christmas schedule, Zion Williamson and the Pelicans would face the defending Eastern conference champion Heat at Noon and the Kevin Durant-led Nets would face the Celtics at 5:00.
The NBA plans to release the first half of its 2020-21 regular season schedule in the coming days. The league has already released its preseason TV schedule, with ESPN set to begin its coverage with Kings-Blazers a week from Friday. TNT would make its debut December 15 with Celtics-Sixers and Warriors-Kings. [Related: NBA TV schedule.]
The NBA regular season is scheduled to begin December 22 and run through May 16, followed by a play-in tournament for the final two playoff seeds from May 18-21 and then the NBA Playoffs from May 22-July 22.
[News from ESPN.com 12.1]
