:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60798967/891999722.jpg.0.jpg)
The Portland Trail Blazers 2018-19 schedule has been released. The Blazers will open the regular season against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, October 18th, then close the season on April 9th and 10th against those same Lakers and the Sacramento Kings.
Portland’s first three weeks are tough. After the Lakers they draw the San Antonio Spurs and Washington Wizards. The Indiana Pacers, Houston Rockets, and New Orleans Pelicans also appear in the first eight outings.
Portland will face a four-game road swing in late October, a six-game trip in mid-November, and seven consecutive games on the road straddling February and March. Between February 10th and March 5th, the Blazers will play 9 of 10 games away from home. March concludes with a final four-game swing. Those four stretches mark the only extended road trips of the season.
Neither the Blazers nor any other NBA team will play four games in five nights. SI.com’s Ben Golliver highlights other league-wide features of the schedule.
2018-19 NBA schedule
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) August 10, 2018
- Fewest back-to-backs ever
- 13.3 B-to-B per team in 2019 (14.4 in 2018 & 19.3 in 2015)
- No team w/ more than 15 B-to-B
- Like last year, no 4-games-in-5-nights
- Less than 1 instance of 5-games-in-7 nights per team
- No 8-games-in-12 nights for first time
The official NBA press release regarding the schedule is here.
Updated Tidbits:
Some scheduling tidbits per @presidual:
— Danny Marang (@DMarang) August 10, 2018
POR will play the most games with a Rest Disadvantage (27) in the NBA.
POR will travel the most miles (54,297) in the NBA.
POR will have the least amount of B2B (12) in the NBA.
(https://t.co/teSItoMNTa)
The national television standings from the full NBA sked (ABC/ESPN, TNT, NBA TV)...
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) August 10, 2018
1: Lakers (43)
2. Golden State (40)
t3. Boston, Houston, Philly (39)
4. OKC (36)
No other teams are in the 30s (sidenote: San Antonio has 25)