Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |

LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers will be in New York to face the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 22, per SNY sources.

James' visits to the Garden are usually entertaining. Last season, James' Lakers lost to a struggling Knicks team in a game that ended with him getting rejected by Mario Hezonja.

Knicks fans will also have the chance to show a warm welcome that night to Davis, one of the top free agents in the class of 2020. Of course, Davis is likely to re-sign with Los Angeles, unless things go horribly wrong for the Lakers this season. But in the unlikely chance that Davis decides to leave Los Angeles next summer, it's worth noting that Davis' agent, Rich Paul, said on the record that he sees New York as an attractive destination.

Another January home game for the Knicks? On New Year's Day, they will host the Portland Trailblazers at the Garden. So Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum and Hezonja, who signed with Portland this summer, will be making their lone MSG visit.

Other noteworthy dates: SNY sources confirm that Kristaps Porzingis and the Dallas Mavericks will come to the Garden on Nov. 14. The game will be Porzingis' first at MSG since the Knicks traded him to Dallas on Feb. 1. The date of the game was first reported by The Athletic.

Sources also confirm that the Knicks will not play on Christmas Day this season. It will be the first time the club isn't playing on the holiday since 2015.

The full NBA schedule will be released later Monday afternoon.

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