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The NBA season officially tips off on Tuesday night, with the Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers kicking off the year at 7:00 p.m. ET. The matchup between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics highlights the night, which also features a late game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks.
The Detroit Pistons open their season at home on Wednesday against the new-look Houston Rockets at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Rockets were very busy this offseason, adding Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik via free agency before capping things off by trading for James Harden over the weekend. The Harden deal gives this matchup quite a bit more buzz.
Expectations are not all that high for Detroit this season, but they do have some talented young pieces. Greg Monroe has blossomed into one of the NBA's best young centers, while Andre Drummond is an intriguing rookie. Point guard Brandon Knight has also shown some promise.
Elsewhere in Detroit's division on Wednesday, the Chicago Bulls host the Sacramento Kings and the Indiana Pacers travel to Canada to take on the Toronto Raptors.
Here's the full schedule for the week, from SI.com.