2013-2014 NBA Schedule: Heat, Knicks And Lakers Featured In Prominent National TV Games In Regular Season

The complete 2013-2014 NBA schedule was released on Tuesday night. The season is set to get underway on Tuesday, Oct.29 with three games. The Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers will officially get things started at 7 p.m. ET.

The defending champs will make their season debut on opening day when they host the Chicago Bulls on TNT. The two teams squared off in the second round of the playoffs, and Derrick Rose is expected to be fully healthy this time.

As LeBron James and company try to win their third straight NBA title, Miami will play almost one-third of their games on national television. The entire country will be able to see 27 of the Heat’s games, including a Nov.1 first matchup with the Brooklyn Nets and an NBA Finals rematch with the San Antonio Spurs on Jan.26.

On Christmas Day, which has become the biggest day in the regular for the NBA, the Heat will visit the Los Angeles Lakers. The Nets and Bulls will start out the day’s action, followed by the Oklahoma City Thunder visiting the New York Knicks.

It won’t take long for the Lakers to see Dwight Howard again. The center and the Houston Rockets will host L.A. on Nov.7. Howard will make his return to Los Angeles in a national TV game on Feb.19.

Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett will return to Boston on Jan.26. The duo, which battled against the New York with Boston for years, will play the Knicks on Dec.5 for the first time as members of the Nets.

Click here to see the full schedule for every NBA team in the 2013-2014 season. The playoffs will begin on Saturday, April 19.