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

The NBA always teases its fans by releasing the regular season schedule early, in digestible, bite-size chunks at a time, and this year is no different. The league is set to announce the Christmas Day, opening-night and Martin Luther King Jr. Day schedules Wednesday at 2 p.m., and some of the year’s marquee matches have already started leaking to the general population.

Here’s what we know so far, and why you should watch these games:

Opening night — Oct. 16

Philadelphia 76ers vs. 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?

Golden State Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

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.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers

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.

Christmas Day

Milwaukee Bucks vs. New York Knicks

Location: Madison Square Garden

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.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors

Location: Oracle Arena, Oakland

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.

Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Context: See opening-night.

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.

We will continue to update this post as more dates and games become available.