The Associated Press

NEW YORK - Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers will play the Dallas Mavericks on the opening night of the NBA season in one of three games scheduled for Oct. 28, and the league's national schedule includes a lot of heralded rookie LeBron James.

The league released its 2003-04 schedule Tuesday, also giving defending champion San Antonio a marquee spot on the first night of the season. The Spurs play the Phoenix Suns that night after the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers tip off the season's first game.

Bryant, charged with felony sexual assault in Eagle, Colo., will be allowed to play for the Lakers if the charges against him have not been resolved. Of the Lakers' 16 games in November, nine will come against Eastern Conference teams. The Lakers next play in Denver Jan. 7.

The schedule also includes a Dec. 25 tripleheader beginning with James and his Cleveland Cavaliers playing at Orlando in an afternoon game. A nighttime doubleheader includes the Mavericks facing the Sacramento Kings and the Lakers playing the Houston Rockets.

James, the most hyped player to make the jump from high school to the pros, will open his season with three road games - at Sacramento, Phoenix and Portland. His first home game will come Nov. 5 against the Denver Nuggets and their heralded rookie, Carmelo Anthony.

The Cavaliers, who haven't appeared on network TV since Dec. 6, 2000, when they played the Chicago Bulls, are scheduled to make 13 national broadcast appearances, on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and TNT, this season.

An NBA Finals rematch between the Spurs and New Jersey Nets will come two weeks into the season at the Meadowlands. The teams' second meeting is Jan. 21.

Karl Malone, who signed a free agent deal with the Lakers after spending his first 18 seasons with the Jazz, will return to Utah on Jan. 24. He'll face his old team in Los Angeles on Dec. 7.

Another veteran signed by the Lakers, Gary Payton, will play at the home of his first NBA team, the Seattle SuperSonics, on Jan. 2. He didn't face the SuperSonics after Seattle traded him to Milwaukee during last season.

San Antonio forward Robert Horry will face his former team, the Lakers, on Nov. 6 when Los Angeles is at the Spurs.

Former Knick Latrell Sprewell will return to New York for an exhibition in October, then again in a game that counts Dec. 23. Keith Van Horn of the Knicks will face his former team, the 76ers, on Nov. 22.

Alonzo Mourning of New Jersey will return to Miami to face his former team on Jan. 23.

Sacramento center Brad Miller will not return to Indiana to face the Pacers until March 19, while Gilbert Arenas of Washington won't travel back to the Bay Area to face his former team, the Golden State Warriors, until March 26.

TRADE: A deal sending Cleveland's Jumaine Jones to Boston for J.R. Bremer and Bruno Sundov was finalized. Jones averaged almost 10 points and 28 minutes for the Cavs last season - both career highs.

Bremer averaged 8.3 points and 2.6 assists, and Sundov averaged 1.2 points and 1.1 rebounds.

BRYANT CASE: Bryant's attorneys asked a judge to reconsider his ruling allowing news cameras in the courtroom where Bryant is expected to appear next week, citing concerns about publicity.

Also Tuesday, Eagle County commissioners gave District Attorney Mark Hurlbert additional money to prosecute the sexual assault case against the Lakers star.

CLIPPERS: The team retained shooting guard Corey Maggette by matching the offer sheet he signed July 14 with Utah. Maggette signed a six-year offer believed to be worth $42 million.

The 6-foot-6 Maggette is coming off his best season, averaging 16.8 points, 5.0 rebounds in 64 games. He averaged 11.5 points, 4.2 rebounds in 273 career games.

The Clippers previously kept forward Elton Brand by matching the offer sheet he signed with Miami, and have until today to decide whether they'll match the offer sheet point guard Andre Miller signed with Denver.