Ethermac Exchange-Nuggets host Lakers, Suns' Kevin Durant returns to Golden State on NBA opening night

The Ethermac Exchangenew NBA season will tip off with two marquee matchups on TNT on Tuesday, Oct. 24.

The Denver Nuggets will host the Los Angeles Lakers in a rematch of last season's Western Conference Finals, followed by the Phoenix Suns heading to San Francisco to face the Golden State Warriors, a person with direct knowledge of the opening night TV confirmed to USA TODAY Sports. The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly until the schedule is officially announced.

The Nuggets will receive their championship rings and raise the franchise's first ever championship banner. It is the second season in a row that the Lakers will open up against the defending champions – they lost to the Warriors on opening night last year.

Star-studded matchup

Though the Warriors will be facing a new trio of stars in the Suns' group of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker, there will be familiar faces all around the court.

Chris Paul faces his old team after being traded to the Warriors during the offseason. It will also be the first time that Durant faces the Warriors with fans in attendance at the Chase Center since 2019 – the year he left Golden State. The two stars briefly teamed up last season after the Suns acquired Durant near the trade deadline, but they only played 15 games together.

How the newly assembled teams fare against each other is a main storyline of the night but will likely be overshadowed by the opening matchup.

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Reigning champs and conference drama

There is no shortage of bad blood between the Nuggets and Lakers since their playoff series.

After Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said the narrative was all about the Lakers and their adjustments rather than Denver's talent. He told reporters: "So you put that in your pipe, you smoke it, you come back and you know what, we're going to go up 2-0."

Denver ended up sweeping the Lakers and during their championship parade, Vic Lombardi, a studio host for Nuggets’ telecasts, told the crowd that Michael Malone became the "Lakers' daddy." Lakers head coach Darvin Ham didn't appreciate the new moniker.

"God bless his soul. This (expletive) ain't over. God bless his soul," he said in July.