Five must-see games for the Atlanta Hawks' 2023 season

The Atlanta Hawks' journey to their second ever NBA championship starts on Oct. 25 against the Charlotte Hornets.

Driving the news: The NBA released the 2023-24 schedule Thursday afternoon.

Here are five games we're looking forward to watching:

vs. New York Knicks (Oct. 27): The Hawks' home opener comes against their newly minted Eastern Conference rival.

• Any time Atlanta plays New York, expect mentions of Trae Young's epic playoff run against them in 2021 when he took a bow at half court after closing them out in five.

at Boston Celtics (Nov. 26): Speaking of the playoffs, rematch anyone? The Celtics sent Atlanta home in six games during the first round last year.

• But in game five, Young hit a deep game winner in The Garden.

vs. Denver Nuggets (Dec. 11): The defending NBA champions will be in the A for the only time in the regular season. Fans will get a chance to see Finals MPV Nikola Jokic in the flesh.

vs. Lakers (Jan. 30): He's entering the 21st year of his career, but he's still must-watch TV: LeBron James, the NBA's all time leading scorer, makes his lone appearance during the regular season in Atlanta.

at Mavericks (April 5): Trae vs. Luka Doncic. The two will forever be linked after the 2018 draft night trade that brought Young to Atlanta.

Ross' thought bubble: The Hawks will get their first full year under head coach Quin Snyder. They should win about 50 games this season and make the playoffs without needing the play-in tournament.

See the full schedule