PORTLAND, Ore. — The eyes of NBA fans across the country will be on the Rose City when the Portland Trail Blazers open the 2018-19 regular season.
That’s because the Blazers will host the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 18 in a nationally televised game scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m., the NBA revealed on Wednesday. It will be LeBron James’ first regular season game with the Lakers after he signed with the team during the offseason.
In addition to James’ debut with the purple and gold, the Blazers have a years-long winning streak against the Lakers. The Blazers have won 15 straight regular season games against the Lakers. Portland will also put another extended winning streak on the line. The Blazers have won 17 straight home openers.
The NBA on Wednesday also released the schedule for Christmas and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The Blazers will go on the road and play the Utah Jazz on Christmas. That game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN. It will be the first time since 2010 the Blazers play on Christmas.
The Blazers will not play on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
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