LeBron James, Lakers face Warriors to highlight Christmas Day schedule

LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers will face the defending champion Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day, and James' first regular-season game in Los Angeles will be against the Houston Rockets, the NBA announced on Wednesday.

James' first home game as a Laker will be on Oct. 20 against Houston (ESPN).

The Lakers' Christmas Day game at Golden State (8 p.m., ESPN/ABC) will be one of a handful of nationally televised NBA games on the holiday.

Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers will visit Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics (5:30 p.m., ABC). James Harden, Chris Paul and the Rockets will host Russell Westbrook, Paul George and the Oklahoma City Thunder (3 p.m., ABC) in another Christmas Day match-up.

The Utah Jazz will host the Portland Trail Blazers in the final game of the day (10:30 p.m., ESPN). The Christmas Day slate will begin with the Milwaukee Bucks visiting the New York Knicks.

James' first Christmas Day game as a Laker will be the holiday's marquee matchup.

James, who signed a four-year, $153 million contract with the Lakers in July, faced the Warriors in each of the past four NBA Finals as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

James' first Laker home game will be against good friends Paul and Carmelo Anthony, who is expected to officially sign with the Rockets in the coming days.

Other significant matchups in the NBA's first week? Top overall pick DeAndre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns host fellow rookie Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 17 (ESPN).

The Celtics will visit Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors on Oct. 19 (ESPN), and the Warriors will travel to Utah Jazz on the same night.

Philadelphia visits Boston in the NBA season opening Oct. 16 (8 p.m. ET, TNT), followed by Oklahoma City at the Warriors (10:30 p.m. ET, TNT).

The Celtics likely will play on national television regularly this season. On Christmas Day, Boston will face Philadelphia in a rematch of the Eastern Conference semifinals, which the Celtics won in five games.

The Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo will play on Christmas Day for the first time since 1977. It is unclear whether Knicks All-Star Kristaps Porzingis will be available for the game. He is currently rehabbing a torn ACL, an injury he suffered in an early February game against the Bucks.