NBA season to open with five Christmas games
By SPORTS NETWORK
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NEW YORK - The shortened NBA season will open Christmas Day, but there will be five games instead of the three that were originally scheduled for the holiday.
With the lockout partially lifted and a new collective bargaining agreement set to be ironed out in the coming days, the league on Friday announced its openers for a truncated 66-game schedule.
The day will open at noon (et) with the Boston Celtics visiting the New York Knicks and will follow with an NBA Finals rematch between the Miami Heat and the reigning champion Mavericks in Dallas. The Bulls and Lakers will then square off in Los Angeles.
Those were the three games originally on the 82-game schedule for Christmas Day, but with a compressed time frame to play 66 games, the league added two more for the holiday.
At 8 p.m. (et), the Oklahoma City Thunder will host the Orlando Magic and the nightcap will take place in Oakland with the Golden State Warriors welcoming the Los Angeles Clippers.
The league said its full 66-game schedule will be released in the near future, contingent upon the ratification of the new CBA. Reports have indicated that the schedule will be announced on Tuesday.
