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The NBA released the national schedule for all 1,230 regular season games to be played during the 2019-20 season, including a first look at the Denver Nuggets schedule. The Nuggets will tip-off in a rematch against the Portland Trail Blazers on the road on Wednesday, October 23rd on ESPN.
The first game of the Denver Nuggets' season will be on October 23rd on ESPN at 8pm MST in a rematch on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers.
— Ryan Blackburn (@NBABlackburn) August 12, 2019
The home opener will be played against the Phoenix Suns on October 25th. The 2018-19 season also opened against the Phoenix Suns at home in which Nikola Jokic accumulated a perfect triple-double and the Nuggets won with relative ease.
The rest of the schedule was released as well. The Nuggets will play 17 games on national television this year, including the above away opener, the final game of the Christmas schedule against the New Orleans Pelicans, multiple games against the California based title contenders, and the last game of the year against the Utah Jazz on the road.
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Some highlights from the above schedule:
- Denver will play 13 back-to-backs this year but just one during October and November, October 28th at the Sacramento Kings and October 29th at home against the Dallas Mavericks.
- Only six of Denver’s games this year will start past 8:00 PM MST in a league wide effort to help games become more watchable for fans on the East and West coast.
Sources: Earlier times for national TV doubleheaders this season: 22 of ESPN’s 36 doubleheaders and 12 of TNT’s 31 doubleheaders to start at 7:30/10 PM ET or 7/9:30 PM ET instead of 8/10:30 PM.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 12, 2019
- Denver’s season will feature a relatively easy opening schedule and relatively easy closing schedule. Among the 17 games played in October and November, only six will be played against playoff teams, some of which include the Orlando Magic and Brooklyn Nets without a healthy Kevin Durant. The final seven games of the season in April feature just three playoff teams, including the Blazers again and the Utah Jazz twice. Five of those final seven games will also be at home.
- Denver’s most difficult schedule stretches will come in January and March. 10 of the 16 January games will be played on the road, including four back-to-backs. In March, 10 of the 16 games will be played on the road, including 10 games against playoff teams from 2018-19.
Tell us which games you are looking forward to most down below!