NBA schedule 2018-19: Marquee matchups and weekly series

According to the the NBA, teams will average 13.3 back-to-back games this season, down almost one-third from the 19.3 back-to-backs teams averaged in 2014-15. Also, for the second straight year, no team will play four games in five days.

Players and coaches will certainly welcome that news, while fans can look forward to many marquee matchups throughout the year, along with some regular weekly features.

The season opens Oct. 16, and concludes April 10, 2019. Here are some of the intriguing matchups on the schedule:

— Week 4: Celtics at Jazz (Friday, Nov. 9, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) — Gordon Hayward faces his old team.

— Week 5: Warriors at Rockets (Thursday, Nov. 15, 8 p.m. ET, TNT) — The Rockets will look for revenge against the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last season.

— Week 6: Lakers at Cavaliers (Wednesday, Nov. 21, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN) — Cleveland fans will welcome home the player who brought them a championship.

— Week 11: 76ers at Jazz (Thursday, Dec. 27, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT) — Donovan Mitchell and the Jazz host the talented young 76ers.

— Week 12: Raptors at Spurs (Thursday, Jan. 3, 8 p.m. ET, TNT) — Kawhi Leonard and DeMar DeRozan will face their former teams.

— Week 14: Lakers at Rockets (Saturday, Jan. 19, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC) — It's LeBron James vs. James Harden in primetime. The game opens ABC's fourth season of "NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC." That series features eight games scheduled to air at 8:30 p.m. ET.

— Week 16: Thunder at Celtics (Sunday, Jan. 27 2 p.m. ET ABC) — Russell Westbrook leads OKC into Beantown in the first game of ABC's six-game "Sunday Showcase on ABC."

In addition to games on ABC, ESPN and TNT, NBA TV will televise 30 doubleheaders as well as a tripleheader on April 7.

Also, NBA League Pass will offer up to 40 live, out-of-market games each week through connected televisions, the NBA App, NBA.com and B/R Live for fans who want to watch games outside their local markets (blackout restrictions apply).