In the midst of pre-season football and the home stretch of the MLB regular season, the NBA has blessed us with the 2022-23 regular-season schedule. Naturally, I combed through it to pluck out all of the relevant information that fantasy managers could want!
Notable dates and slates around the Association
Opening Night: Tuesday, October 18
All-Star Weekend: February 17-19, Salt Lake City, UT
Final Day of the Regular Season: Sunday, April 9, 2023
Play-in Tournament: April 11-14, 2023
Playoffs begin: April 15, 2023
Opening Night
Christmas Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
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Celtics at Hornets
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Pacers at Bucks
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Pelicans at Cavaliers
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Raptors at Knicks
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Warriors at Wizards
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Heat at Hawks
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Jazz at Timberwolves
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Suns at Grizzlies
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Rockets at Lakers
International Games
Storylines to watch
Where will Kevin Durant, Donovan Mitchell and Kyrie Irving play? Kevin Durant demanded a trade from Brooklyn and then doubled down in a recent meeting with Joe Tsai, asking the owner to fire GM Sean Marks and HC Steve Nash. Mitchell hasn’t demanded a trade, but Rudy Gobert’s deal put Spida firmly in the crosshairs of trade rumors, and he’s been linked frequently to the Knicks. Irving hasn’t asked for a trade either, but the Durant drama has raised some questions about a potential rebuild scenario.
Can the Warriors defend their title? Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green brought a title back to the Bay for the fourth time in the trio’s storied career, but the likes of Dallas, Los Angeles (both of them), Memphis and Phoenix will be gunning for the title.
Will the Clippers finally be healthy for a long playoff run? It’s do or die time for Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. The duo has had issues staying on the court together since they teamed up in the summer of 2019, but both are reportedly good to go ahead of the season after Leonard missed the entirety of the 2021-22 season. Los Angeles re-signed Robert Covington and Nicolas Batum this offseason, they’ll have a healthy Norman Powell, and they’ll also have a healthy John Wall to compete with Reggie Jackson for the starting PG job. They have superstars and admirable depth, making them one of the favorites to win the NBA title.
Can the Lakers make it work? LeBron James signed a lucrative two-year extension just before the schedule was released, cementing his commitment to the purple and gold. After a highly disappointing season in which the team missed the playoffs, James will need to work with new coach Darvin Ham to more successfully integrate Russell Westbrook into a talented triumvirate that includes Anthony Davis.
Will Minnesota be a title contender? The Wolves pushed all their chips in on Rudy Gobert, and now we’ll get to see if the gambit was worthwhile. A starting five of Gobert, Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell and Kyle Anderson should be more than formidable, even in the talented Western Conference.
Who will emerge in a loaded Eastern Conference? The Bucks took the Eastern Conference champs to seven games even without Khris Middleton, and Miami gave Boston seven games in the Conference Finals. If Brooklyn has Durant, Irving and Ben Simmons available, they’re contenders, and don’t forget about Joel Embiid, James Harden and the Sixers. There’s a ton of parity here.
When will LeBron pass Kareem for most career points? James is 1,326 points away from becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. If he averages 27.1 points per game (his career average), he could take the crown as early as January 25 at home against the Spurs in his 49th game of the season. Realistically, James won’t play all of those games after missing 63 total games over the last two seasons. Could he set the most prestigious NBA record in front of Stephen Curry and the Warriors? King James understands the gravity of the moment, and the Lakers host Golden State on Feb 23 and March 5.
Notable Matchups
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Oct 21 Hawks vs. Magic – Dejounte Murray and Paolo Banchero will get to see their online beef materialize on the court
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Dec 10 Celtics at Warriors, Jan 19 Celtics vs. Warriors – We get not one but two Finals rematches. Hallelujah!
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Dec 25 Warriors vs. Grizzlies – C’mon, who doesn’t want to see Ja Morant and Stephen Curry go at it again? Oh, and let’s not forget, it’s on Christmas!
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Dec 25 Celtics vs. Bucks, Feb 14 and Mar 30 Celtics at Bucks – Three rematches of a beautiful seven-game Eastern Conference Semifinals
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Oct 18 Warriors vs. Lakers, Feb 23 and Mar 5 Lakers vs. Warriors – Any game that pits LeBron James and Stephen Curry against each other is a must-watch! Don’t forget about the late-season drama of James chasing Kareem for the all-time scoring title
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Oct 19 Suns vs. Mavs – Things got a bit chippy between these two teams in a heated seven-game Western Conference semifinals that culminated in a Dallas blowout victory to advance to the Conference Finals
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Oct 19 Pelicans vs. Nets – This might be the first time we see Ben Simmons and Zion Williamson since the 2020-21 season
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Nov 22 76ers vs. Nets – Ben Simmons and James Harden facing their respective former teams? Irving, KD and Joel Embiid? Sign me up
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Dec 10 Warriors vs. Celtics, Jan 19 Celtics vs. Warriors – Both rematches of last year’s Finals should be penciled into every NBA fan’s calendar
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Dec 9 Timberwolves at Jazz – Rudy Gobert makes his return to Utah as a visitor, so get the popcorn ready!
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Oct 20 Clippers at Lakers – The Clippers have won seven straight against the Lakers, so it’s hard to call this a rivalry. Still, it’s the freakin’ Battle of Los Angeles with PG13, Kawhi, LeBron, AD and Russ!
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Mar 19 Hawks at Spurs – Dejounte Murray makes his return to San Antonio after being traded to Atlanta for two first-round picks in the offseason
Nationally Televised Games
Strength of Schedule
According to MSN, these are the NBA schedules ranked from easiest to hardest:
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Nuggets
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Jazz
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Hawks
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Timberwolves
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Cavaliers
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Bucks
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Grizzlies
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Suns
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Celtics
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Clippers
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Raptors
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Heat
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76ers
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Mavericks
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Lakers
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Pelicans
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Warriors
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Nets
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Hornets
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Bulls
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Trail Blazers
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Kings
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Wizards
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Pacers
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Knicks
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Pistons
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Magic
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Rockets
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Thunder
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Spurs
Team-by-team Breakdown
If you play fantasy hoops, you understand just how important a player’s schedule is. Extended road trips or multiple back-to-backs might mean rest for stars on your roster like Kawhi Leonard, Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis.
Equally important are the number of games played in a week, which can often determine who you’ll slot into your lineup. When choosing between a mid-tier option who’s got three games on tap or one who’ll play five in the same week, the choice is an easy one. Even mid-tier guys can (and should) find themselves on your bench if a lower-tier option is playing two extra games. This season, the Association made a concerted effort to limit the number of back-to-backs and miles traveled for each team, so fantasy managers will need to mostly worry about parsing through 3-4 game weeks rather than five game weeks.
Here’s how the schedule shakes out team-by-team with season-openers, back-to-backs, extended road trips and the number of times each team will have to play five games in seven days.
Atlanta Hawks
Season-opener: Oct 19 vs. Rockets
Extended road trips: Oct 26 – Nov 2 and Jan 30 – Feb 7 (5 games each)
Back-to-backs: 13
5 games in 7 days: 0
Boston Celtics
Season-opener: Oct 18 vs. 76ers
Extended road trips: Dec 4-13, Mar 11-21 (6 games each)
Back-to-backs: 13
5 games in 7 days: 0
Brooklyn Nets
Season-opener: Oct 19 vs. Pelicans
Extended road trips: Jan 17-25, Mar 7-14 (5 games each)
Back-to-backs: 14
5 games in 7 days: 2
Charlotte Hornets
Season-opener: Oct 19 at Spurs
Extended road trips: Dec 18-27 (6 games)
Back-to-backs: 12
5 games in 7 days: 1
Chicago Bulls
Season-opener: Oct 19 at Heat
Extended road trips: Nov 23 – Dec 4 (6 games)
Back-to-backs: 15
5 games in 7 days: 1
Cleveland Cavaliers
Season-opener: Oct 19 at Raptors
Extended road trips: Nov 4-11 and Dec 6-14 (5 games each)
Back-to-backs: 12
5 games in 7 days: 1
Dallas Mavericks
Season-opener: Oct 19 at Suns
Extended road trips: Jan 8 -15 (5 games)
Back-to-backs: 13
5 games in 7 days: 0
Denver Nuggets
Season-opener: Oct 19 at Jazz
Extended road trips: Mar 14-22 (5 games)
Back-to-backs: 12
5 games in 7 days: 1
Detroit Pistons
Season-opener: Oct 19 vs. Pistons
Extended road trips: Nov 17-25 (6 games)
Back-to-backs: 13
5 games in 7 days: 2
Golden State Warriors
Season-opener: Oct 18 vs. Lakers
Extended road trips: Dec 13-21 (6 games)
Back-to-backs: 15
5 games in 7 days: 1
Houston Rockets
Season-opener: Oct 19 at Hawks
Extended road trips: Feb 10-26 (5 games)
Back-to-backs: 13
5 games in 7 days: 0
Indiana Pacers
Season-opener: Oct 19 vs. Pacers
Extended road trips: Nov 27 – Dec 7 (7 games)
Back-to-backs: 14
5 games in 7 days: 1
Los Angeles Clippers
Season-opener: Oct 20 at Lakers
Extended road trips: Dec 23-31 (5 games)
Back-to-backs: 15
5 games in 7 days: 0
Los Angeles Lakers
Season-opener: Oct 18 at Warriors
Extended road trips: Dec 2-11 (6 games)
Back-to-backs: 12
5 games in 7 days: 0
Memphis Grizzlies
Season-opener: Oct 19 vs. Knicks
Extended road trips: Jan 20-27 (5 games)
Back-to-backs: 12
5 games in 7 days: 0
Miami Heat
Season-opener: Oct 19 vs. Bulls
Extended road trips: Dec 30 – Jan 6 (5 games)
Back-to-backs: 14
5 games in 7 days: 1
Milwaukee Bucks
Season-opener: Oct 20 at 76ers
Extended road trips: Dec 19-28 (5 games)
Back-to-backs: 13
5 games in 7 days: 2
Minnesota Timberwolves
Season-opener: Oct 19 vs. Thunder
Extended road trips: Dec 9-16 (5 games)
Back-to-backs: 14
5 games in 7 days: 1
New Orleans Pelicans
Season-opener: Oct 19 at Nets
Extended road trips: Jan 7-16 (5 games)
Back-to-backs: 12
5 games in 7 days: 1
New York Knicks
Season-opener: Oct 19 at Grizzlies
Extended road trips: Nov 11-21 (5 games)
Back-to-backs: 12
5 games in 7 days: 1
Oklahoma City Thunder
Season-opener: Oct 19 at Timberwolves
Extended road trips: Dec 3-12 (5 games)
Back-to-backs: 13
5 games in 7 days: 2
Orlando Magic
Season-opener: Oct 19 at Pistons
Extended road trips: Jan 7-15 (5 games)
Back-to-backs: 13
5 games in 7 days: 2
Philadelphia 76ers
Season-opener: Oct 18 at Celtics
Extended road trips: Jan 14-21 (5 games)
Back-to-backs: 13
5 games in 7 days: 2
Phoenix Suns
Season-opener: Oct 19 vs Mavs
Extended road trips: Dec 25 – Jan 4 (6 games)
Back-to-backs: 12
5 games in 7 days: 0
Portland Trail Blazers
Season-opener: Oct 19 at Kings
Extended road trips: Three 6-game road trips!
Back-to-backs: 14
5 games in 7 days: 1
Sacramento Kings
Season-opener: Oct 19 vs. Blazers
Extended road trips: Jan 28 – Feb 8 (7 games)
Back-to-backs: 15
5 games in 7 days: 2
San Antonio Spurs
Season-opener: Oct 19 vs Hornets
Extended road trips: Feb 6-28 (9 games) *Pre and post All-Star break
Back-to-backs: 14
5 games in 7 days: 1
Toronto Raptors
Season-opener: Oct 19 vs. Cavs
Extended road trips: Jan 25 – Feb 5 (7 games)
Back-to-backs: 12
5 games in 7 days: 2
Utah Jazz
Season-opener: Oct 19 vs. Nuggets
Extended road trips: Mar 3-13 (6 games)
Back-to-backs: 15
5 games in 7 days: 1
Washington Wizards
Season-opener: October 19 at Pacers
Extended road trips: Dec 14-23 (6 games)
Back-to-backs: 14
5 games in 7 days: 1
