Warriors’ 2021-22 schedule highlighted by national TV appearances, grueling travel – San Francisco Chronicle
The NBA released its schedule for the 2021-22 season on Friday afternoon, revealing a Warriors slate dotted by dozens of showcase games and more than its share of grueling travel.
During a six-month slog that the Warriors hope results in a return to championship contention, they will travel an estimated 50,000 miles and are scheduled to play 14 back-to-back sets – the team’s highest total since the 2017-18 season.
Along the way, the Warriors will be featured in 29 national TV appearances (TNT 12, ESPN 11, ABC six), marking the seventh consecutive season with at least 25 showcase games. In addition, the Warriors are scheduled to make 12 appearances on NBA TV.
The Warriors’ opener is Oct. 19 at the Lakers, who added Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony to LeBron James and Anthony Davis during an eventful offseason. The Warriors’ home opener is Oct. 21 against the Clippers, setting the tone for a home-heavy start to the season.
Including a franchise-record-tying eight-game homestand from Oct. 28 to Nov. 12, the Warriors will play nine of their first 12 games at Chase Center. During the extended stay in the Bay, the Warriors will host Memphis, who knocked them out of the play-in tournament last season, see Kelly Oubre Jr. in a Charlotte uniform for the first time, and give fans a look at New Orleans’ Zion Williamson and Atlanta’s Trae Young.
The first lengthy road trip of the season will zigzag through Charlotte, Brooklyn, Cleveland and Detroit from Nov. 14-19. The Warriors also have two five-game roadies, including Philadelphia, Indiana, New York, Boston and Toronto during a seven-day span of December.
The other five-game roadie swings through Orlando, Miami, Atlanta, Washington and Memphis in late March, setting up a potentially brutal end to the regular season. Including that trip, the Warriors will close the season with eight road dates among the final 11 games.
All told, the Warriors will play two games against each Eastern Conference team and four games against all Western Conference foes except Houston, New Orleans, Oklahoma City and Portland, who they play three times.
As they look to continue their 377-game full capacity sellout streak at home, the Warriors have streamlined the tipoff times. All weekday home games will start at 7 p.m., and all Saturday and Sunday home games will start at 5:30 p.m., except for the nationally televised 4:30 p.m. tip against Dallas on Feb. 27.
The Warriors were tabbed for holiday games at Western Conference champion Phoenix on Christmas, at Utah on New Year’s Day and at the Clippers on Valentine’s Day. They were not chosen for games on Veterans’ Day, Thanksgiving or MLK Day.
Among the other national TV games, the Warriors will host Zach LaVine and Chicago on Nov. 12, have a family affair against Philadelphia’s Seth Curry and Doc Rivers on Nov. 24, bring Portland’s Damian Lillard back to the Bay Area on Dec. 8, and host champion Milwaukee and Giannis Antetokounmpo on March 12.
All of the Warriors’ matchups with the Lakers will be on national TV, including the season opener, Feb. 12 at Chase Center, March 5 at Staples Center and April 7 in San Francisco.
Rusty Simmons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rsimmons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Rusty_SFChron
