The NBA schedule is out, with 1,230 games running between Oct. 24 and April 12. After getting a little time to digest the schedule — and with the help of the unbelievable Positive Residual app — here are some notes on what is coming up for seven months.
• Every team schedule released by the league today has 80 games on it. All of those teams will get to 82, with a couple of games in early December, but the particulars of those will be based on how teams do in the group stage.
• Who are we going to see the most on national television? The Warriors lead the way with 28 appearances, followed by the Lakers at 27, the Celtics and Suns at 25, and the Nuggets at 21. (Note: This list is just ABC/ESPN/TNT games and does not include NBA TV.)
• Eight teams have only one national television appearance: the Wizards, Raptors, Trail Blazers, Magic, Pacers, Rockets, Pistons and Hornets. The Utah Jazz have just two national games.
• Leading my list of good teams not getting enough national games is the Pacers, who have built a quality roster around Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Davis, with new additions Bruce Brown and Obi Topin. Also on that list will be the Cavaliers at just nine games, I expect another step forward from that roster this season.
• The New Orleans Pelicans only have six national games. That is far too low if they are healthy, but the league’s broadcast partners didn’t seem ready to bet on Zion Williamson’s health. I can’t say I blame them.
• The best schedule release video goes to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
4+ hours of cleanup for 4 minutes of content.
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) August 17, 2023
enjoy your 23-24 schedule release, Wolves fans. pic.twitter.com/e8qJhcovBd
• Although the Chicago Bulls came close.
Our schedule is here! Meet us in the gym 👀@ATT | #BullsNation pic.twitter.com/WVLcZi8ByV
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) August 17, 2023
• The Denver Nuggets have the easiest schedule in the NBA based on their opponent’s winning percentage last season. The Utah Jazz are second, the Celtics third. (It should be noted the differences between worst and best are relatively marginal because of the balanced 82-game schedule.)
• Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs have the toughest schedule (again, based on last season), with the Houston Rockets second. More interesting, the Kings are third and the Lakers fourth on this list.
• The league average this year is 14 back-to-back games (up from 13.3 last season), with every team having at least 13. It should be noted teams average nine road back-to-backs, but teams also have some at home.
• The league has gotten better about ensuring rest days for teams before big nationally televised games in this schedule. The same is true of the new in-season tournaments, no back-to-backs in those games.
• The Boston Celtics have the most rest-advantage games in the NBA at 16 (where they had more nights off than their opponent, usually that is catching the other team on a back-to-back).
• The Orlando Magic have the most rest disadvantage games, with the Toronto Raptors second and the Sacramento Kings third.
• Interesting note from Marcus Thompson II: The Warriors start the season with 7-of-9 on the road, and finish the season with 9-of-12 away from the Chase Center.
• If the Clippers want to say they got screwed by the schedule makers, they have a beef. Los Angeles will travel the most miles of any team (50,670, well ahead of the second-place Nets at 47,066). Also, the Clippers have the most instances of three games in four nights with 25 (the fewest goes to the Denver Nuggets at 16).
• Speaking of the Clippers, in case you’re wondering why Steve Ballmer wants to build a new arena: The Clippers have 10 matinee home games this season (starts between noon and 1 p.m.). That’s what happens when you’re the third tenant in the building (the Lakers and NHL’s Kings get first shots). Those early starts tick off the Clippers organization (hat tip Andrew Grief).
• NBA “Rivalry Week: returns Jan. 23 through Jan. 27, which is the week you get games such as Knicks vs. Nets, Lakers vs. Clippers, and Heat vs. Knicks.
• The Portland Trail Blazers have just one nationally televised game, when they host Miami on Feb. 27. That game is after the trade deadline and would be Damian Lillard’s return to Portland if the much-discussed trade goes through. (Hat tip Sean Highkin.)
• The NBA scheduled no games on Nov. 7 because it is election day. There are also no games on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and April 8 (the day of the NCAA men’s tournament finals).
