League releases full slate, plans for 75th anniversary

The NBA released the full schedule for the 2021-22 season on Friday, outlining just how it will celebrate its 75th season.

The league will do so by highlighting the teams and events that have shaped the league’s history, including a showcase of the three franchises — the Knicks, Celtics and Warriors — that have been a part of each season.

Earlier last week, the NBA released its opening day schedule — play will begin Oct. 19 — and the five marquee matchups set for Christmas Day.

The Christmas Day schedule will feature a showdown between the star-studded Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers.

Other games on the Dec. 25 slate include the Atlanta Hawks meeting the Knicks at Madison Square Garden in a rematch of the Hawks’ first-round, five-game playoff series win, as well as Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks meeting Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City.

The 2021-22 schedule is a return to the typical 82 games per team after a reduced number of games over the past two seasons due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The league is holding what it calls “NBA 75 Classic Matchups” to mark its diamond jubilee year. They include:

♦ A Nov. 1 matchup between the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors (7:30 p.m., NBA TV) — 75 years after the league’s first regular-season game played between the Knicks and Toronto Huskies.

♦ The Knicks, Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors will face each over a threegame round-robin Dec. 14, 17 and 18.

♦ On Jan. 7, the Los Angeles Lakers will host the Atlanta Hawks (10 p.m., ESPN) to mark the 50th anniversary of the Lakers’ 33rd straight victory, a win over the Hawks. The 33-game streak is still the longest winning streak in league history.

The Oct. 19 season-opening games feature contests between the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets, as well as the Warriors and the Lakers.