LA Clippers' Regular Season Schedule Revealed, Will Face Lakers Opening Night
Following a four-month delay, the NBA season is officially set to resume in Orlando, Florida, on July 30. And much like how this season started back in October, the LA Clippers will kick things off with a highly-anticipated meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers.
On Friday night, ESPN revealed the full schedule for the "seeding games" that will be played beginning on July 30. The big surprise was the announcement that the Clippers will face-off with the Lakers on opening night.
The Clippers and Lakers have met three times already this season. The Clippers have a 2-1 advantage in the series, though the Lakers won the most recent matchup on March 8.
Check out the full schedule below, complete with dates, times (EDT), and broadcast networks:
- @ Los Angeles Lakers — July 30, 9:00 p.m., TNT
- vs. New Orleans Pelicans — Aug. 1, 6:00 p.m., ESPN
- vs. Phoenix Suns — Aug. 4, 4:00 p.m., NBA TV
- @ Dallas Mavericks — Aug. 6, 6:30 p.m., TNT
- @ Portland Trail Blazers — Aug. 8, 1:00 p.m., TNT
- vs. Brooklyn Nets — Aug. 9, 9:00 p.m., NBA TV
- @ Denver Nuggets — Aug. 12, 9:00 p.m., ESPN
- vs. Oklahoma City Thunder — Aug. 14, TBD, TBD
A few things stand out about this schedule.
For starters, the game against the Lakers should be LA's most difficult, but the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder are tough opponents as well. On top of that, the New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers will all be competing for the final playoff spot in the West, meaning they'll have some extra motivation to knock off the Clippers.
The Clippers also have one back-to-back, beginning with Portland and ending with the Brooklyn Nets. That said, the 1:00 p.m. tip time against Portland is the earliest that teams will play in Orlando, and the 9:00 p.m. tip time against the Nets is the latest. LA will also get an additional day of rest following the game against Brooklyn.
Once these games are completed, the Clippers will have their playoff seed finalized and the team will begin to prepare for its first postseason opponent.
