The Los Angeles Clippers will finally have their own arena starting in 2024. The Intuit Dome is set to open in Inglewood this October. As the NBA schedule begins to leak out, The Athletic's Shams Charania has broken the news on who the first opponent in the building's history will be.

“The Los Angeles Clippers are slated to open their new Intuit Dome for the first regular season game on Oct. 23 hosting the Phoenix Suns, sources tell me and @LawMurrayTheNU” Charania posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Kevin Durant and the Suns will be in town to open up the newest facility in the Association. Despite the star power on the Suns, they presented a good matchup for the Clippers last season. Los Angeles went 3-1 in their four games. The team this season looks very different, however, setting up different expectations for the first season in Inglewood.

Clippers' expectations in 2024-25

The Intuit Dome is seen from an aerial view while under construction. The arena will the future home of the LA Clippers and site of the 2026 NBA All-Star Game.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Clippers are still looking for their first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history. Their 2021 run was their first trip to the Conference Final ever. For a franchise that dates back to 1970, they have historically poor team finishes despite having great players throughout their history.

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The departure of Paul George leaves Kawhi Leonard as the biggest star on the roster. Leonard has one of the greatest individual playoff runs ever under his belt from the 2019 Raptors, but that is quite a lift to ask for a 33-year-old. The key to the team's success is James Harden, who must perform in the playoffs to legitimize his contract.

Harden is now on his fifth different team and has some solid postseason numbers. However, he has not been on a team that made a deep playoff run in many years. He must help put this team on his shoulders and get back to the Western Conference Final to regain his “playoff performer” title. He has not played in a conference final since 2018 with the Rockets.

The Clippers and their fans should have high expectations for the first season in the Intuit Dome. Now that they know they're playing the Suns, let the countdown to opening night begin.