NBA: Tournament format, teams, schedule, LIVE streaming and all you need to know ahead of 2024-25 season

The 2024-25 season of the NBA is all set to get underway in the United States from Tuesday (22 October). The new season kicks off with a double-header on Tuesday. While defending champions Boston Celtics host New York Knicks in the season-opener, Los Angeles Lakers welcome Minnesota Timberwolves in the match that follows later on Tuesday. All eyes will be on LeBron James and his LA Lakers side. The Lakers are coming off a disappointing 2023-24 season where they were eliminated by Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

Reigning champions Boston Celtics, on the other hand, will be among the favourites to lift the NBA title once again. The Celtics had beaten Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 Finals in June to clinch their 18th championship title, and their first since 2008.

NBA 2024-25 talking points | Boston aim for back-to-back titles; LeBron James teams with son Bronny

From the schedule, tournament format to the teams, here’s all you need to know ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season:

NBA 2024-25 season tournament format

The 2024-25 season of the NBA will have a regular season, playoffs, finals and also an in-season tournament. There are a total of 30 teams taking part in the NBA regular season that will take place from October 2024 to April 2025. All 30 teams are divided into two conferences —Eastern Conference and the Western Conference.

Both the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference are further separated into three divisions each, with five teams in each of the divisions.

Next up is the NBA in-season tournament, also called the NBA Cup. The NBA Cup will be held from 12 November to 17 December. This tournament takes place during the NBA regular season. Three teams who finished with the season-best records from the 2023-24 season are randomly drawn to each of the groups, which are six groups in total. There are three groups each from both the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference.

Eight teams, the top-ranked team from each group across both conferences, plus two wild card teams (One best second-placed team from each conference group) qualify for the knockout stage, which consist of one-off quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final.

NBA Playoffs

The NBA Playoffs take place towards the end of a season, between April and June. The top six teams from each of the two conferences, along with four teams from the NBA Cup (Teams ranked seventh to 10th) compete in the NBA Playoffs, making up for 16 teams in total.

The NBA Playoffs have four rounds with each round having best-of-seven matches. The four rounds are the first round, second round, semi-finals and the final.

What are the important dates for the NBA 2024-25 season?

22 October: NBA 2024-25 regular season gets underway

2 November: NBA Mexico City Game 2024 between Miami Heat and Washington Wizards

12 November: NBA Cup begins

17 December: NBA Cup Final in Las Vegas

14-16 February 2025: NBA All-Star game in San Francisco

15-18 April 2025: NBA Play-in tournament (Post-season tournament)

19 April 2025: NBA Playoffs get underway

5 June 2025: NBA Finals get underway

Which are the teams participating in the NBA 2024-25 season?

Eastern Conference: Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards.

Western Conference: Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs.

How can I watch the NBA 2024-25 season LIVE on TV and online?

Basketball fans in India can watch the matches of the 2024-25 NBA season by acquiring subscription on the NBA League Pass app. Viewers can watch the matches on mobile and tv apps, as well as on desktop after acquiring the pass.