Nuggets 2019-2020 Schedule Features Matchup vs. Pelicans (& Zion Williamson) On Christmas Night

DENVER (CBS4) -- The 2019-20 NBA schedule was announced Monday afternoon, and the Denver Nuggets will begin their defense of the team's Northwest Division title with three straight road games.

The team opens the season in Portland on October 23 and follows with road outings against the Clippers and Suns.

The Nuggets play their home opener on Friday, October 25 versus Phoenix.

One highlight of the schedule - a Christmas night game in the Mile High city vs. New Orleans and Zion Williamson. Williamson, the league's No.1 draft pick, will square off against Denver's all-star center Nikola Jokic. Tip-off is set for 8:30pm.

It will be the first time since the 2012-13 season that the Nuggets have played on Christmas night.

That game will be one of the 17 games that the Nuggets will play on national television.

The Los Angeles Lakers - now featuring Anthony Davis alongside LeBron James - visit the Pepsi Center twice this season: Tuesday, December 3 at 7pm and then again on Wednesday, February 12 at 8pm.

The Nuggets play eight of their 10 games at home in two stretches during the months of November and December.

The end of the season also sets up well for the Nuggets if they need to make a run or are battling for playoff positioning with seven of their last 10 games at home.

Denver's division title last year was its first since the 2010 season. The team, seeded No.2 after the regular season, lost in the second round of last year's Western Conference playoffs to the third-seeded Trail Blazers.

Single game tickets will go on sale to the public on Aug. 19.