The NBA officially released its schedule for all 30 teams on Wednesday.
The NBA released its schedule in full on Wednesday. Of course, all teams play 82 games with the same split of conference and division games, but it is fun to look at individual matchups now that we finally have some dates.
Here are five games that jump off the page on the Sacramento Kings’ schedule.
Oct. 19: Kings vs Blazers
Opening night is always a treat, especially when you get it at home, which is the case for Sacramento this season. Last season, Sacramento also opened up with Portland Trail Blazers, beating them 124-121 in Portland behind a masterful 36-point performance from Harrison Barnes.
Another reason this should be a fun matchup is that both Sacramento and Portland figure to be in a similar spot in the Western Conference standings, fighting for postseason play.
Oct. 23: Kings at Warriors
Sacramento will see the defending champions in its first road game of the season on Oct 23. Facing a team as stacked as the Golden State Warriors is always tough, but even more so for Sacramento in this contest, as they will be on their first back-to-back of the season after playing the Los Angeles Clippers at home the night before.
Golden State lost some talent from its championship squad but is certainly one of the title favorites again going into the 2022-23 season.
Nov. 30: Kings vs Pacers
Tyrese Haliburton should receive a standing ovation from the Golden One Center crowd in his first action in Sacramento as a visitor. Sacramento beat Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers in March, 110-109, in a battle of teams finishing out the season. Haliburton struggled with his shot in that game but dished out 15 dimes.
Expect Haliburton to have a huge season statistically, with a higher volume role than he had in Sacramento. I’d expect Haliburton to come out guns blazing against his former team.
Jan. 11: Kings vs Rockets
The Kings will be on national television! Yes, you read that correctly. The Kings will face off with the Rockets on ESPN. This will be Sacramento’s first game on ESPN or TNT since 2019.
In terms of the actual matchup, the Rockets are a team loaded with interesting young talent, specifically the. No. 2 pick in 2021, Jalen Green and No. 3 pick in 2022, Jabari Smith Jr, among others.
Mar. 13: Kings vs Bucks
Whenever you get the best player in the league to visit your city, it is always something you mark on the calendar. For Sacramento, that will be when Giannis Antetokounmpo makes his yearly visit.
The Kings and Milwaukee Bucks have had some competitive games over the last couple of seasons in Sacramento, although Milwaukee has won 12 in a row in the series. Hopefully, Sacramento can finally turn the tide in this matchup to hopefully further a postseason push.