NBA Opening Night 2017: Cavaliers-Celtics, Warriors-Rockets Start Times, Channel, Odds

Meaningful basketball officially returns Tuesday with NBA Opening Night 2017. Arguably the two best teams from each conference will face off to begin what should be a wild 2017-2018 season.

The action starts at 8 p.m. EDT when the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Boston Celtics in a rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals. The defending champion Golden State Warriors host the Houston Rockets at 10:30 p.m. EDT. TNT will have the TV broadcast for both contests, and viewers can watch a free live stream online at tntdrama.com.

Cleveland is favored by four points at home, via OddsShark, and the over/under is 212.5. The betting odds favor Golden State by 9.5 points at home with an over/under of 229.

Just a few months after demanding a trade from the Cavs, Kyrie Irving will begin the season playing in Cleveland while wearing another uniform. There’s a chance that LeBron James won’t suit up for the Cavs as he deals with a sprained ankle.

Cleveland sent Irving to Boston in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder and a 2018 first-round draft pick. Thomas could be out until January as he deals with a hip injury.

Another star player makes his regular-season debut with the Celtics Tuesday night. Gordon Hayward signed with the team as a free agent. The additions of Irving and Hayward were part of a complete overhaul of Boston’s roster, which led the East in victories a year ago. That didn’t do much to help the team’s playoff chances as they were ousted by the Cavs in five games in the conference finals.

James and the Cavs are still favored to reach the NBA Finals. It’s what they’ve done every year since the superstar came back to Cleveland in 2014, and James has appeared in the NBA Finals every year since 2011. But the gap between the two teams has seemingly been shortened, at least somewhat.

Golden State remains the clear best team in the NBA. They are odds-on favorites to win the 2018 NBA Finals, starting a second straight season with a lineup that includes Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. The Warriors kick off the year against one of the Western Conference teams that made major offseason additions in hopes of challenging them.

Before the Oklahoma City Thunder traded for Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, Houston made the first big splash of the offseason. The Rockets acquired Chris Paul from the Los Angeles Clippers just as the point guard was set to hit free agency.

Paul gives Houston a backcourt that rivals the Splash Brothers. Harden finished ahead of Curry in the 2017 NBA MVP voting, coming in second place for the second time in three years. Paul might be a top-10 player when he’s able to stay healthy, and he joins a team that won 55 games last season.

The Warriors lost just one game in last year’s playoffs before winning their second title in three years. They are favored to meet the Cavs in the NBA Finals for the fourth consecutive year.