The NBA has recently released the schedule for the upcoming 2016-2017 season. The Charlotte Hornets have some big time games set for this year.
After a successful 48 win season in 2015, the Charlotte Hornets will be looking to build on that with another great year. The team now knows the road that will lay in front of them this season as the regular season schedule has been released. Following the improving trend of the team, they have received some nationally televised games for the upcoming season.
The Hornets did not play on national TV once last year as many media members thought the team wouldn’t be as good as they were. Charlotte was a League Pass favorite last season because of their style of play. Putting them on national TV was a great move by the NBA.
One of the biggest games of the season is against the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers on New Year’s Eve. That will be a home game for Charlotte as they will be looking to close out 2016 with a win. The Hornets will only have one afternoon game at home this season but they will have three afternoon games on the road.
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Season Opener
The Charlotte Hornets will open the season against the Milwaukee Bucks but it will be on the road. That game will take place on Wednesday, October 26th with tip-off set for 8:00 p.m. EST. Both team’s will be set kick-off the new basketball year. Charlotte’s first home game of the season will be their third game and it will be on Saturday, October 29th against the Boston Celtics. Last season had a similar start for the Hornets as they opened up with two road games before their home opener.
Nationally Televised Games
Charlotte has three national TV spots this season with two of them on ESPN and one on TNT. The Hornets will play the San Antonio Spurs at home on Wednesday, November 23rd on ESPN. They will also take on the Golden State Warriors at home on Wednesday, January 25th for their second appearance on ESPN. Charlotte’s final nationally televised game will be against the Indiana Pacers on Monday, March 6th away from home on TNT.
The Hornets will also have six NBA TV games on their schedule this season. Three of which will be in consecutive fashion. From February 25 to the 28th, the team will be on a west coast road trip with their three games against the Sacramento Kings, the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Los Angeles Lakers all being broadcasted on NBA TV. It is good to see the Hornets receive more attention from the national media after getting next to nothing last year.
Back-to-Backs
Charlotte will be playing in 16 pairs of back-to-back games this season which is the NBA average. (@Rick_Bonnell) The league was trying to limit stretches of four games in five night but the Hornets will have one of those this season. Those will take place in late November as they will play two away and two at home in a brutal stretch. They will also play three games in four nights 22 times this year.
Home Games
The Charlotte Hornets sold out a franchise high 13 games last season. They should be able to top that this year with 18 of their 41 home games being on a Friday or Saturday. Their longest homestand will be from January 18th to the 25th and will consist of five games. The team will also have a season long six game road trip from February 23rd to March 4th as that stretch will come in the midst of eight away games out of nine.
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It will be interesting to see how the team does this season after their stellar 2015 campaign.. Sadly, the Charlotte Hornets will not be playing on Christmas but they will be playing on Martin Luther King Jr. Day once again. Now that the schedule has been released, what games are you most looking forward to this season?