Celtics 2024-25 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds and Record Predictions

The Boston Celtics lost just three playoff games on their way to to the 2024 NBA championship.

Now the team is rolling it back with the same core five players who dominated the last postseason.

With Jayson Tatum and Derrick White extended and Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis already signed, the Celtics will once more head into the next season as a title contender.

Here's a look at some of the most important matchups to keep an eye on as the Celtics begin their title defense this fall.

Season Opener: vs. New York Knicks on Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET

Championship Odds: +300 (bet $100 to win $300), per FanDuel

Full Schedule: The full schedule is available on NBA.com.

Top Matchups

Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron James is returning for another season with the Lakers. The Celtics are running things back after breaking a Lakers record with their 18th championship win.

The Lakers may not have made huge offseason acquisitions, but this is a team that managed to earn a win over the Celtics last season while missing James and Anthony Davis.

Given the controversy over missed foul calls two seasons ago, this matchup is set to be a heated one when the perennial rivals reunite this fall.

Miami Heat

The Heat ruined the Celtics' title hopes in 2023.

The Celtics got their revenge with a first-round win over the Heat last spring, although that involved a home loss to a Miami team missing Jimmy Butler.

That loss proved that the Heat can be a threat to the Celtics thanks to Bam Adebayo's three-point shooting and the addition of young talent like Jamie Jaquez Jr. If Butler is healthy for this next matchup, the Heat could be a formidable opponent for the defending champs.

Dallas Mavericks

This rematch against the Celtics and the team they defeated to win the 2024 title will be a must-watch contest this season.

The Celtics were able to contain the Mavericks defensively during the 2024 Final. Now that Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić have had time to work on how to get around Boston's offense, Dallas could prove to be a tougher opponent this fall.

Season Forecast

The Celtics excelled in efficient offense, clutch scoring and smothering defense during their record-breaking 2023-24 regular season. Bringing back the same core means similar results will be expected this fall.

Paydays for the team's title-winning stars means that the Celtics are all but certain to exceed the second apron, and earn all the free agency, draft and trade limitations that come with it, over the next few seasons.

Boston might consider shedding some salary midseason (as noted by CBS Sports' Sam Quinn) in order to delay some of those penalties as long as possible.

That goal might lead to some tinkering around the edges of the roster, but after White and Tatum's extensions, it's clear that the Celtics plan to keep their current core together as much as possible.

That might cause a cap crunch in the future, but for now it is going to give this team a good shot at earning the top seed in the Atlantic Division for the fourth straight season.

Record Prediction: 59-23