THE NBA released the full 2019-20 season schedule Monday.

There’s been a lot of talk recently about potentially shortening the NBA schedule given the injuries we saw during the Finals and the continued implementation of “load management” as a regular-season rest strategy.

That won’t happen this year — the league will play a normal 82 games — but there has been a slight tweak.

The 2019-20 NBA season will begin Oct. 22, one week later than it did last season, and the playoffs will also begin one week later. The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reported that this summer’s FIBA World Cup was a factor in moving back the start date, presumably to give players more time to recover before the season.

While opening night tends to include some of the best games on the season’s schedule, the league usually avoids major overlap. The defending champions usually play against a conference rival, while two of the best teams in the opposing conference tend to fill in the night’s other slot.

But the league is going in a slightly different direction this year.

The Raptors will indeed play on opening night, but rather than playing a conference rival, they will take on the New Orleans Pelicans in Zion Williamson’s debut. As is tradition, the defending champs will also receive their rings and raise their championship banner in a ceremony prior to their match-up with Williamson and the Pelicans on opening night.

Even more surprising, the Los Angeles Lakers will battle with the Clippers in perhaps the most anticipated game of the season. Such matchups are typically reserved for Christmas, but these teams will meet four times this season, and two of their scheduled dates will be opening night and Christmas.

That might take some of the teeth out of the Christmas game, but it’s worth noting that Paul George is expected to miss the beginning of the season while recovering from shoulder surgery. If he does indeed miss opening night, the Christmas game will be his first duel with the Lakers as a member of the Clippers.

Christmas is the NBA’s marquee regular-season showcase, and this season is no exception. The five-game Christmas Day slate will feature superstars such as LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden, Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid, Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Nikola Jokic.

Any time a high-profile player changes teams, there’s some serious buzz when that player returns to play in his former city for the first time. Here are the dates that have been revealed so far:

Nov. 14 — Dallas Mavericks’ Kristaps Porzingis at New York Knicks

Nov. 27 — Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis at New Orleans Pelicans

Nov. 27 — Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving at Boston Celtics

Dec. 11 — Los Angeles Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard at Toronto Raptors

Jan. 9 — Houston Rockets’ Russell Westbrook at Oklahoma City Thunder

March 3 — Los Angeles Clippers’ Paul George at Oklahoma City Thunder

(SD-Agencies)