The NBA will release opening week, Christmas Day, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day schedules on Wednesday.

The NBA announced its full regular season schedule on Friday, and among the biggest improvements was a reduction in the most grueling parts of the year. The league eliminated all instances of four games in five nights and reduced the number of back-to-backs to an average of 13.3 per team, which is down 31 percent since the 2014-15 season. Instances of five games in seven nights have also been reduced by 42 percent since last season, a welcome change after the wave of brutal injuries that wrecked the NBA last year.

Here are some of the highlights of this year’s NBA schedule.

Opening week

Oct. 16

Philadelphia 76ers @ Boston Celtics

Time: 8 p.m.
Channel: TNT

Context: The Celtics eliminated the 76ers in the second round of last year’s playoffs, 4-1, and they did so with injuries to their two all-stars, Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. Irving and Hayward, though, project to be healthy to begin the season, adding more firepower to a Boston team that took LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to Game 7 in last year’s NBA Finals. The 76ers, on the other hand, lost Marco Bellineli and Ersan Ilyasova in free agency. And even though they traded for Wilson Chandler this summer, Philly didn’t land a third star to put alongside Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. Can a healthy Markelle Fultz make the difference?

Oklahoma City Thunder @ Golden State Warriors

Time: 10:30 p.m.
Channel: TNT

Context: You know what happened. The Warriors poached Kevin Durant from the Thunder two summers ago, then proceeded to rattle off back-to-back NBA championships. Oklahoma City, though, found its replacement by convincing Paul George to sign a four-year contract. This one should be fun, though Golden State is a juggernaut few can truly compete with.

October 17

New Orleans Pelicans @ Houston Rockets

Time: 8 p.m.
Channel: ESPN

Context: Are the Pelicans as good as they were last year, now without both DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo? And how about the Rockets? How are they going to implement Carmelo Anthony into an offense with James Harden and Chris Paul on the floor? A yearlong quest for answers starts here.

Dallas Mavericks @ Phoenix Suns

Time: 10:30 p.m.
Channel: ESPN

Context: Two teams looking to claw from out the bottom of the standings start here, but the Mavericks are further along the process than the Suns. Deandre Ayton’s first NBA test is against DeAndre Jordan.

October 18

Chicago Bulls @ Philadelphia 76ers

Time: 8 p.m.
Channel: TNT

Context: The Bulls are trying to claw their way back into relevance, while the Sixers are on a quest to establish their legitimacy as one of the better teams in the East. This one shouldn’t be close, but who knows? Jabari Parker, Zach LaVine, and Lauri Markkanen can get buckets.

Los Angeles Lakers @ Portland Trail Blazers

Time: 10:30 p.m.
Channel: TNT

Context: LeBron James left Cleveland for Los Angeles, and The King will try to seize the throne Kobe Bryant left open when he retired years ago. This Lakers team isn’t a championship contender — yet — but they have a group of guys that James should be able to take to the playoffs. That’s why a matchup against the Trail Blazers is a good opening-night barometer. Portland had high expectations that came crashing down when the Pelicans swept them out of the first round. The Trail Blazers could be a team the Lakers challenge when it comes to those bottom four playoff spots out West.

October 19

Boston Celtics @ Toronto Raptors

Time: 8 p.m.
Channel: ESPN

Context: The Raptors seized the No. 1 seed in the East last season but were unceremoniously swept out of the first round by LeBron James. James is no longer in the East and Toronto now has Kawhi Leonard. But Boston is healthy. Make way for a new king.

Golden State Warriors @ Utah Jazz

Time: 10:30 p.m.
Channel: ESPN

Context: Just some good ol’ fashioned basketball between two good Western Conference teams. This will show just how wide the early-season gap is between the Warriors and everyone else, because the Jazz are as good of a team as you’ll find.

October 20

Toronto Raptors @ Wahington Wizards

Time: 7 p.m.
Channel: TNT

Context: Goodbye, DeMar DeRozan; hello, Kawhi Leonard. The Raptors shook things up this summer by trading one All-Star for another. They’ll play a Wizards team that brought Dwight Howard and Austin Rivers into the mix with John Wall and Bradley Beal this summer.

Houston Rockets @ Los Angeles Clippers

Time: 9 p.m.
Channel: TNT

Context: Chris Paul’s return to Los Angeles should be a great way to kick off a season where the Rockets must find a way to fold Carmelo Anthony into the fold. There’s only one ball to be share between he, Paul, and James Harden, and Mike D’Antoni made it work last season. But this is a new challenge, and a healthy Clippers team can be quite the test.

October 21

Houston Rockets @ Los Angeles Lakers

Time: 9 p.m.
Channel: NBA TV

Rivalry Games

Golden State Warriors @ Houston Rockets

Date: Nov. 15
Time: 8 p.m.
Channel: TNT

Context: The Warriors came back to defeat the Rockets in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals before winning their second straight NBA championship. You better believe Houston wants a rematch.

Philadelphia 76ers @ Utah Jazz

Date: Dec. 27
Time: 10:30 p.m.
Channel: TNT

Context: Rookie? How about Rookie of the Year. Despite a late push by Donovan Mitchell, Ben Simmons convincingly won ROY honors last season. Time will tell who the better player is. So will these head-to-head matchups.

Reunion Games

Boston Celtics at Utah Jazz

Date: Nov. 9
Time: 9:30 p.m.
Channel: ESPN

Context: Gordon Hayward’s return to Utah after a season-ending ankle injury in the first game of last season.

Los Angeles Lakers at Cleveland Cavaliers

Date: Nov. 21
Time: 8 p.m.
Channel: ESPN

Context: LeBron James’ return to Cleveland after leaving for Los Angeles in free agency this summer.

Toronto Raptors at San Antonio Spurs

Date: Jan. 3, 2019
Time: 8 p.m.
Channel: TNT

Context: Kawhi Leonard returns to San Antonio after playing only eight games then forcing a trade from the Spurs.

San Antonio Spurs @ Toronto Raptors

Date: Feb. 22, 2019
Time: 7 p.m.
Channel: ESPN

Context: DeMar DeRozan’s return to Toronto

Houston Rockets @ Atlanta Hawks

Date: March 19, 2019

Context: LOL, Carmelo Anthony finally plays in Atlanta.

Christmas Day

Milwaukee Bucks @ New York Knicks

Time: 12 noon
Channel: ESPN

Context: The Knicks have been God-awful, but Madison Square Garden is the most famous arena of them all. With Kristaps Porzingis set to miss the bulk of the season recovering from a torn ACL, the hardwood belongs to Giannis Antetokounmpo. This could get ugly, quick.

Oklahoma City Thunder @ Houston Rockets

Time: 3 p.m.
Channel: ABC

Context: Yikes. Melo playing against his old team — the one that, you know, did everything in its power to get rid of him — on Christmas Day? Will he go for 35 or 13?

Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Time: 5:30 p.m.
Channel: ABC

Context: See opening night.

Los Angeles Lakers @ Golden State Warriors

Time: 8 p.m.
Channel: ABC/ESPN

Context: LeBron James vs. the Warriors on Christmas Day, yet again. Only this time, like last year, he won’t have Kyrie Irving to hit the dagger for the win. Can he pull it off for the purple and gold? The odds are stacked against him, but never count out The King.

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Utah Jazz

Location: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City

Context: The Trail Blazers placed third in the West only to be swept out of the first-round by the sixth-seeded Pelicans. The Jazz, meanwhile, upset the Thunder in seven games, led by Donovan Mitchell’s remarkable rookie year and Rudy Gobert’s season-changing defensive presence. There’s a palpable gap between the Warriors, Rockets and the rest of the West. These two teams are fighting for bragging rights.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day — Jan. 21, 2019

New Orleans Pelicans @ Memphis Grizzlies

Time: 5:30 p.m.
Channel: TNT

Context: Memphis is a staple of the NBA’s MLK Day game slate, and this year is no different. Actually it is — the Grizzlies should be competitive again with a healthy Marc Gasol and Mike Conley. And the Pelicans need every win possible if they’re going to keep Anthony Davis happy.

Houston Rockets @ Philadelphia 76ers

Time: 8 p.m.
Channel: TNT

Context: Rockets-Sixers should be a good one, given how dynamic a combo Embiid and Simmons are, and how unstoppable a combo Chris Paul and James Harden were last season.

Golden State Warriors @ Los Angeles Lakers

Time: 10:30 p.m.
Channel: TNT

Context: We just can’t get enough LeBron James vs. the Warriors, can we?

ESPN Saturday Primetime Games

Jan. 19

3:30 p.m. — Oklahoma City Thunder at Philadelphia 76ers
8:30 p.m. — Los Angeles Lakers at Houston Rockets

Jan. 26

8:30 p.m. — Golden State Warriors at Boston Celtics

Feb. 2

8:30 p.m. — Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors

Feb. 9

8:30 p.m. — Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets

Feb. 23

8:30 p.m. — Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors

Mar. 2

8:30 p.m. — Golden State Warriors at Philadelphia 76ers

Mar. 9

8:30 p.m. — Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers

Mar. 16

8:30 p.m. — Golden State Warriors at Oklahoma City Thunder

ABC Sunday Showcase

Feb. 3

2 p.m. — Oklahoma City Thunder at Boston Celtics

Feb. 10

3:30 p.m. — Los Angeles Lakers at Philadelphia 76ers

Mar. 3

3:30 p.m. — Houston Rockets at Boston Celtics

Mar. 10

3:30 p.m. — Indiana Pacers at Philadelphia 76ers

Mar. 17

3:30 p.m. — Philadelphia 76ers at Milwaukee Bucks

Apr. 7

3:30 p.m. — Oklahoma City Thunder at Minnesota Timberwolves

National TV Games

We will update this post as more information becomes available.