After five seasons together, Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers are entering a new era without Paul George in the mix. On Thursday afternoon, the Clippers took a big first step forward with the official release of their schedule for the 2024-25 NBA season.
Without further ado, let's jump right into the 2024-25 NBA schedule.
Clippers free of afternoon home games, but have more back-to-backs
The LA Clippers and their fanbase have been complaining for years about the unfortunate circumstances at Staples Center/Crypto that forced them into a number of afternoon matinees during the weekends. Well, no more!
After review, the Clippers have ZERO home games starting in the afternoon in their inaugural season at Intuit Dome. LA plays 13 home games on weekends this upcoming season, with no game scheduled to tip off earlier than 6 PM PST.
In fact, the only game *all season* that the Clippers will have to tip off in the afternoon is their final game of the season against the Golden State Warriors. And that, obviously, is by design and part of the NBA's plan to make sure every game on the final day is as competitive as possible.
Despite the positive news that they'll have no afternoon home tipoffs, the Clippers will play a total of 16 back-to-back sets this season. That's one more than they had in both the 2023-24 season and the 2022-23 season.
Six of the Clippers' 16 back-to-back sets will be at both be at home, six will both be on the road, and four will be home/road splits
As part of those 16, they have a six-in-nine stretch from November 17th to the 25th and a five-in-seven stretch from March 30th to April 5th.
The Clippers will also have nine national TV games, with six on ESPN and three on TNT.
Clippers' opening week schedule
The Clippers are set to tip off their regular season against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns at home on Wednesday, October 23, 2024. It will be the first-ever regular season basketball game played at the all-new Intuit Dome, marking the first time since 1999 that the Clippers called any arena but Staples Center their home.
The Clippers will take two days off on Thursday and Friday before taking on the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors in a back-to-back set with both games coming on the road. It'll be the Clippers' first time going up against former guard Russell Westbrook and three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic.
After another pair of days off, the Clippers return home for a back-to-back set against the Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns (again), with both games coming at home. Strangely enough, the Clippers will host the division rival Suns twice in eight days to start the NBA season, meaning they won't be back in LA to face them again for the remainder of the regular season.
That's how the Clippers start out the season: five games in eight days, including two sets of two days off as well as two back-to-back sets already.
Biggest games of the Clippers' season
The Clippers will get some big games out of the way early, with Paul George returning to Los Angeles as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, November 6th. That game will be broadcast on ESPN, and will surely have fireworks.
Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, who defeated the Clippers in their 2024 first-round playoff series, won't play in Los Angeles against Kawhi Leonard and James Harden's club until the very end of the regular season. The Clippers are scheduled to host Dallas on April 4 and 5, 2025 in a back-to-back set at Intuit Dome. The Mavs, however, host the Clippers on December 19th and December 21st.
The Clippers' first game against the defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics will come on Monday, November 25, 2024, in Boston. Kawhi Leonard and Co. will host the Celtics in L.A. on January 22, 2025.
The crosstown rival Los Angeles Lakers have played every game in Los Angeles at Staples Center since 1999. Until now. LeBron James and his Lakers will travel to Intuit Dome for the first time on January 19, 2025. They'll return to Inglewood two weeks later on February 4, 2025, for the second matchup of the season against the Clippers.
The series will shift to Crypto dot com Arena for a pair of contests shortly after the All-Star break on February 28th and March 2nd.
The final week of the Clippers' season
The Clippers will finish the season with five of their final seven games at home, all in April.
The New Orleans Pelicans come to town on April 2nd, followed by a back-to-back set against the Mavs on April 4th and 5th. After two days off, the Clippers will see their final back-to-back set of the season: Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, followed by Alperen Sengun and the Houston Rockets.
The final two games, both on the road, will be in Sacramento against the Kings and in San Francisco against the Warriors to close out the regular season on November 13th. So the Clippers don't even have to leave California for all of April.
Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers are looking at a new-look roster in the 2024-25 season, but remain hopeful to contend for a playoff spot come April.
Here is the full LA Clippers' 2024-25 regular season schedule:
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