The LA Clippers 2024-25 schedule has officially been released. Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Co. are headed towards a new era with the departure of Paul George to the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency.
Aside from the schedule's release, the Clippers opened up their brand new Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. Their new, state-of-the-art home will be a basketball haven for fans around the world and house both the team's practice facility and stadium where they'll play their games.
With teams gearing up for the seven-to-nine month grind that is the NBA season, we take a look at the six must-watch Clippers games of the 2024-25 season. We start with the Intuit Dome opener.
Suns @ Clippers — Intuit Dome regular season opener
The long wait is over. The LA Clippers will open the Intuit Dome's doors for the first regular season basketball game on October 23, 2024.
Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and the Phoenix Suns come to town for the first game of each team's regular season. The Olympic gold medalists will face the guy they thought would be their teammate in Paris in Kawhi Leonard before some puzzling decisions were made.
In addition to that opening game, the Suns will travel back to Los Angeles to face the Clippers again eight days later on October 31st.
The tension between the Clippers and Suns has waned since their 2021 and 2023 playoff series, respectively. Patrick Beverley, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook are no longer on the roster, so the new-look Clippers will have their work cut out for them in their season opener.
Lakers @ Clippers — first LA vs. LA game at Intuit Dome
For the first time since 1999, the Los Angeles Lakers will be playing a road game in their own city in a different arena. The Clippers and Intuit Dome will host the Lakers on January 19, 2025 for the first time.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis, another pair of Olympic teammates, will lead the Lakers into the Dome to face off against Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and the LA Clippers twice this season: On January 19th and again on February 4th.
Mavs @ Clippers — Rematch of the 2024 playoff series
Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the Dallas Mavericks are the Western Conference Champions, but the West champs will not becoming to Los Angeles to face the Clippers until late in the season.
The Clippers' first time hosting the Mavs this season will come on April 4th, just one week before the end of the regular season. That game is part of a back-to-back set against the Mavs on the 4th and 5th of April, both in Los Angeles.
It remains to be seen who will be healthy for that matchup, but the Mavs are an intriguing matchup after adding Klay Thompson this past offseason in a heartbreaking departure from the Golden State Warriors.
The April 4th and 5th back-to-back set will take place on a Friday and Saturday.
Sixers @ Clippers — Paul George's return to Los Angeles
The long-anticipated return of Paul George to Los Angeles… won't take very long. Assuming both sides are healthy, fans will have to wait just two weeks into the season for the epic return game.
Following his departure in free agency this past summer, George and his Philadelphia 76ers will travel to L.A. to take on the Clippers on November 6, 2024. In what was originally expected to be a respectful and appreciative response from the fanbase, Clippers fans will now surely boo George for talking badly about the team and their fans on his way out of town.
George, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey have created a strong trio of stars in Philadelphia, but their biggest weaknesses remain: consistency and health.
This game will take place just on Wednesday, November 6th, just one day after Election Day 2024.
Nuggets @ Clippers – Russell Westbrook's return to Los Angeles
Russell Westbrook didn't play with the LA Clippers long, but he made an immediate impact on that fanbase. His energy made him a fan-favorite by many, with multiple instances of waking the team up and getting them back into games. On the other side, his streaky and reckless style of play often cost the Clippers in big moments.
Westbrook and the Nuggets will travel to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers just one time this season on December 1, 2024. Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and the new-look Nuggets have a lot to figure out with the departure of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
The Clippers have won two straight against the Nuggets after losing eight in a row to Denver since 2022. Ivica Zubac and his club have defended Jokic well in the last few years, so it'll be interesting to see if that success can be replicated with the departure of Paul George.
Westbrook's immediate impact and the standing ovation he received every game will be remembered fondly by fans. He's expected to get a nice ovation from fans in his return to Los Angeles.
The Nuggets-Clippers contest on Sunday, December 1st will tip off at 7PM PST
Spurs @ Clippers — Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul
Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul will team up on the San Antonio Spurs in what will be a very interesting duo. Wembanyama is well on his way to being one of the greatest, if not the greatest, players in history. Adding a point guard of Chris Paul's caliber will surely help his development.
Wemby, Paul, and the Spurs will also travel to Los Angeles early and face off against the Clippers on November 4, 2024. For the Clippers, it'll be a great chance to catch Paul and Wembanyama early in their partnership where they don't have everything figured out.
It'll also be another matchup between future Hall-of-Famer Kawhi Leonard and Hall-of-Fame coach Gregg Popovich. The Monday, November 4th contest is slated to tip off at 7:30PM PST.
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