In the 2022-23 season, the NBA began dedicating one week of its schedule to well-established and emerging rivalries between teams and players. It usually features a game between the Celtics and Lakers due to the franchises’ long-standing competition, matchups between teams in close proximity to each other, like the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors, rematches of recent playoff series, and battles between some of the biggest stars in the game.
This year, Rivals Week will feature ten nationally televised games across TNT, ESPN, ABC, and NBA TV. It starts on January 21 and ends on January 25.
Rivals Week 2025 schedule
Date | Time | TV Channel | Matchup |
|---|---|---|---|
January 21 | 7:30 p.m. ET | TNT | New York Knicks at Brooklyn Nets |
10 p.m. ET | TNT | Philadelphia 76ers at Denver Nuggets | |
January 22 | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN | Minnesota Timberwolves at Dallas Mavericks |
10 p.m. ET | ESPN | Golden State Warriors at Sacramento Kings | |
January 23 | 7:30 p.m. ET | TNT | Miami Heat at Milwaukee Bucks |
10 p.m. ET | TNT | Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers | |
January 24 | 8 p.m. ET | NBA TV | New Orleans Pelicans at Memphis Grizzlies |
January 25 | 3 p.m. ET | ABC | Denver Nuggets at Minnesota Timberwolves |
5:30 p.m. ET | ABC | Boston Celtics at Dallas Mavericks | |
8:30 p.m. ET | ABC | Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors |
What does this year’s Rivals Week offer fans?
This year’s Rivals Week features a lot of rematches of recent playoff series. The Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks faced each other in the 2024 Finals, the Minnesota Timberwolves ended the Denver Nuggets’ season in the 2024 Western Conference Semifinals, going on to meet the Mavericks, and the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks have played each other frequently in the playoffs in recent years.
On top of that, fans will get to see some big head-to-head matchups, like LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic against Joel Embiid, and former top picks Ja Morant and Zion Williamson.
For fans in New York and California, it also offers a chance to get local bragging rights, as Rivals Week features games between the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets and the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors.
Which teams could the Magic face in future Rivals Weeks?
The Orlando Magic are not part of this year’s NBA Rivals Week, but that could change soon. There is plenty of material for the NBA to find an intriguing matchup to feature during Rivals Week in the future, and the league should be motivated to showcase the Magic on national TV more often.
Having the Orlando Magic go up against the Miami Heat would make for a fun Florida battle between two tough teams, similar to the games between the Knicks and Nets and Warriors and Kings featured this year.
The league could also decide to have the Magic go up against the Oklahoma City Thunder. That game would not only feature two of the better young teams in the league but also the two top picks in the 2022 NBA Draft. The NBA already scheduled a similar game this year between Ja Morant’s Grizzlies and Zion Williamson’s Pelicans. On top of that, Jalen Williams finished second in Rookie of the Year voting behind Paolo Banchero after Holmgren missed their rookie season with an injury, adding another layer to the competition.
Other than that, if the Magic put together at least one competitive playoff series this year, they may just face the same team again during next year’s Rivals Week.