Rockets for opener; Cavs on Christmas

NBA officials threw the Warriors an immediate challenge: They will begin the 2017-18 season at home against Chris Paul, James Harden and the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night, Oct. 17.

Golden State, seeking its third championship in four years, also will play at New Orleans on Oct. 20 and will host Cleveland at Oracle Arena on Dec. 25, the Warriors’ third consecutive Christmas Day matchup with LeBron James and the Cavaliers.

The NBA announced selected opening-week games Thursday, as well as its Christmas Day lineup. The league plans to release the rest of its schedule next week.

The Celtics and Cavaliers will tip off the season, launching a nationally televised TNT doubleheader at 5 p.m. PDT on Oct. 17. Rockets-Warriors follows at 7:30 p.m.

Golden State players will receive their 2016-17 championship rings before the game, and the team will raise its title banner.

The opening-week schedule also includes an ESPN doubleheader Oct. 20: Cleveland at Milwaukee and then the Warriors at New Orleans, where they will face Ian Clark, their former backup guard.

This year’s schedule represents the earliest start to an NBA season since 1980. The league is trying to ease the travel burden by spreading the 82 regular-season games over an extra week, compared with previous seasons.

The Warriors will host the Cavaliers at noon Dec. 25, marking Golden State’s fifth consecutive Christmas Day game. The Warriors beat the Los Angeles Clippers at home in 2013, then lost to the Clippers on the road in ’14.

The Warriors also played the Cavaliers on Christmas Day last year in Cleveland, falling 109-108. The teams met in Oakland on Dec. 25, 2015, with Golden State winning 89-83.

Other Christmas Day games this year: 76ers-Knicks, Wizards-Celtics, Rockets-Thunder and Timberwolves-Lakers.