Thursday was a big day for average basketball fans and fantasy diehards alike as the NBA released its full regular season schedule for the 2023-24 campaign. Each team has 80 guaranteed games on its schedule due to the new In-Season Tournament, with Week 7 (December 4-10) being left “open.”
The eight teams that qualify for the quarterfinals will play on December 4 or 5, with the winners advancing to the semifinals on December 7 in Las Vegas. The two winners of those matchups will advance to the championship game on December 9, giving those teams an 83rd game (that will not count toward their overall records). The 22 teams that fail to qualify for the quarterfinals will play two regular season games on December 6 and 8, and the quarterfinal losers will pick up another game.
Weeks 17 and 18 are the ones that most fantasy leagues combine due to All-Star Weekend, with this year’s midseason showcase being played in Indianapolis. Every team will have at least two games to play during Week 7, with the matchups to be determined after the group stage of the In-Season Tournament. Below are a few quick thoughts on the schedule
- Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Sacramento will be busy down the stretch
In most fantasy leagues, Weeks 22 through 24 will be the playoff rounds, and each of those teams has three four-game weeks. Of course, this doesn’t account for where they may be in their respective playoff races or injuries for that matter, but having 12 games to play during that stretch can be beneficial to fantasy managers.
- Dallas draws the “short stick” for fantasy playoff time
While most teams will play either ten or 11 games during Weeks 22 through 24, the Mavericks will only play nine. After a two-game Week 22, Dallas plays four in Week 23 and three in Week 24. Provided they’re in contention for a playoff spot, and everyone’s healthy, this shouldn’t matter much to a Luka Doncic or Kyrie Irving, given their productivity. However, this could be problematic for fantasy options viewed more as specialists, especially in Week 22.
- Brooklyn boasts the league’s lone five-game week
The Nets will play five games during the week of March 4-10, beginning with a home back-to-back against the Grizzlies and 76ers (March 4-5) and finishing with a road back-to-back against the Hornets and Cavaliers (March 9-10). In between is a road game in Detroit on the 7th. And that isn’t the only scheduling quirk that Brooklyn will have to deal with this season.
- Five teams have one-game weeks at some point this season
The Nets are also one of five teams that will have a one-game week. Brooklyn and Cleveland will only play once in Week 12 (January 8-14), as they’ll face each other in Paris on January 11. Oklahoma City’s one-game week is Week 17 (February 12-18), while Memphis and Miami will both play just once during Week 18 (February 19-25).
- Eight teams play five games over the first two weeks
While most of the league will play six games during the first two weeks of the season, eight only get five. Boston, Milwaukee, Minnesota, and Washington will play twice in Week 1 and three times in Week 2, while Houston, the Clippers, Philadelphia, and Sacramento will play three games in Week 1 and two the following week. But this shouldn’t be a major concern for fantasy managers given the point in the calendar when this happens...unless the comparative lack of activity leads to their teams getting blown out.