The NBA has officially released its schedule for the 2015-16 season, which will be different than the past few years as the league made a commitment to cutting down on back-to-backs and situations where teams play four games in five nights. So what does the upcoming season look like for the Phoenix Suns?
As announced earlier today, the Suns will be kicking off the 2015-16 season with their first home game at the newly named Talking Stick Resort Arena on Oct. 28, taking on Tyson Chandler‘s former team in a matchup with the Dallas Mavericks. The Suns close the month of October with a home-and-away back-to-back against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Suns have 14 back-to-backs total (a franchise low) after having 18 last year. They also only have one four-games-in-five-nights stretch for the upcoming season.
Schedule is easier than in the last few years. One 4-in-5 nights. No gauntlet to end things and 3 TNT games.
— Espo (@Espo) August 12, 2015
Phoenix will also enjoy a much easier close to the season after a 1-10 finish to the 2014-15 season. In April, the Suns will take on the Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz, Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers to close the season. It’s not an easy final month, but it’s far preferable to the slew of top-notch opponents Phoenix faced at the end of last season.
Sir Charles In Charge
The Suns will have 13 nationally televised games, and only five if you don’t count NBATV. The Suns play three games on TNT (vs. Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 12, vs. San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 21 and vs. Houston Rockets on Feb. 4) and two ESPN games (vs. Chicago Bulls on Nov. 18 and vs. New Orleans Pelicans on Dec. 18).
Phoenix’s best opportunity to surge in the standings will come in February, when the Suns will enjoy nine of their 10 games at home. They’ll have a seven-game homestand that month, which will be broken up by NBA All-Star Weekend in Toronto. Phoenix’s only road game that month will be against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Unfortunately, that month also features a brutal batch of opponents, including the Toronto Raptors, Houston Rockets (twice), Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies.
In March, the Suns will play 11 of their 16 games on the road. To close out 2015, the Suns will face the Cleveland Cavaliers (Dec. 28), San Antonio Spurs (Dec. 30) and Oklahoma City Thunder (Dec. 31) in consecutive games.
In the most ridiculous tradition, the Suns are the New Year's Eve guest for OKC's annual Dec. 31 game for the fourth time in five years.
— Paul Coro (@paulcoro) August 12, 2015
In Phoenix’s first 16 games, the Suns face 14 Western Conference opponents, so it won’t take long for us to know where this team stands among the playoff hopefuls. The team’s longest road trip will be a six-game streak after Thanksgiving that includes the Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls.
The Suns will enjoy eight of their first 11 games at home.
Here’s a look at the complete schedule:
October:
- Wed. Oct. 28 vs. Dallas Mavericks
- Fri. Oct. 30 vs. Portland Trail Blazers
- Sat. Oct. 31 @ Portland Trail Blazers
November:
- Mon. Nov. 2 @ Los Angeles Clippers
- Wed. Nov. 4 vs. Sacramento Kings
- Fri. Nov. 6 vs. Detroit Pistons
- Sun. Nov. 8 @ Oklahoma City Thunder
- Thu. Nov. 12 vs. Los Angeles Clippers
- Sat. Nov. 14 vs. Denver Nuggets
- Mon. Nov. 16 vs. Los Angeles Lakers
- Wed. Nov. 18 vs. Chicago Bulls
- Fri. Nov. 20 @ Denver Nuggets
- Sun. Nov. 22 @ New Orleans Pelicans
- Mon. Nov. 23 @ San Antonio Spurs
- Wed. Nov. 25 vs. New Orleans Pelicans
- Fri. Nov. 27 vs. Golden State Warriors
- Sun. Nov. 29 @ Toronto Raptors
December:
- Tue. Dec. 1 @ Brooklyn Nets
- Wed. Dec. 2 @ Detroit Pistons
- Fri. Dec. 4 @ Washington Wizards
- Sun. Dec. 6 @ Memphis Grizzlies
- Mon. Dec. 7 @ Chicago Bulls
- Wed. Dec. 9 vs. Orlando Magic
- Fri. Dec. 11 vs. Portland Trail Blazers
- Sun. Dec. 13 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
- Mon. Dec. 14 @ Dallas Mavericks
- Wed. Dec. 16 @ Golden State Warriors
- Fri. Dec. 18 vs. New Orleans Pelicans
- Sun. Dec. 20 vs. Milwaukee Bucks
- Mon. Dec. 21 @ Utah Jazz
- Wed. Dec. 23 vs. Denver Nuggets
- Sat. Dec. 26 vs. Philadelphia 76ers
- Mon. Dec. 28 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
- Wed. Dec. 30 @ San Antonio Spurs
- Thu. Dec. 31 @ Oklahoma City Thunder
January:
- Sat. Jan. 2 @ Sacramento Kings
- Sun. Jan. 3 @ Los Angeles Lakers
- Wed. Jan. 6 vs. Charlotte Hornets
- Fri. Jan. 8 vs. Miami Heat
- Tue. Jan. 12 @ Indiana Pacers
- Fri. Jan. 15 @ Boston Celtics
- Sun. Jan. 17 @ Minnesota Timberwolves
- Tue. Jan. 19 vs. Indiana Pacers
- Thu. Jan. 21 vs. San Antonio Spurs
- Sat. Jan. 23 vs. Atlanta Hawks
- Tue. Jan. 26 @ Philadelphia 76ers
- Wed. Jan. 27 @ Cleveland Cavaliers
- Fri. Jan. 29 @ New York Knicks
- Sun. Jan. 31 @ Dallas Mavericks
February:
- Tue. Feb. 2 vs. Toronto Raptors
- Thu. Feb. 4 vs. Houston Rockets
- Sat. Feb. 6 vs. Utah Jazz
- Mon. Feb. 8 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
- Wed. Feb. 10 vs. Golden State Warriors
- Fri. Feb. 19 vs. Houston Rockets
- Sun. Feb. 21 vs. San Antonio Spurs
- Mon. Feb. 22 @ Los Angeles Clippers
- Thu. Jan. 25 vs. Brooklyn Nets
- Sat. Jan. 27 vs. Memphis Grizzlies
March:
- Tue. Mar. 1 @ Charlotte Hornets
- Thu. Mar. 3 @ Miami Heat
- Fri. Mar. 4 @ Orlando Magic
- Sun. Mar. 6 @ Memphis Grizzlies
- Wed. Mar. 9 vs. New York Knicks
- Thu. Mar. 10 @ Denver Nuggets
- Sat. Mar. 12 @ Golden State Warriors
- Mon. Mar. 14 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
- Thu. Mar. 17 @ Utah Jazz
- Fri. Mar. 18 @ Los Angeles Lakers
- Mon. Mar. 21 vs. Memphis Grizzlies
- Wed. Mar. 23 vs. Los Angeles Lakers
- Fri. Mar. 25 @ Sacramento Kings
- Sat. Mar. 26 vs. Boston Celtics
- Mon. Mar. 28 @ Minnesota Timberwolves
- Wed. Mar. 30 @ Milwaukee Bucks
April:
- Fri. Apr. 1 vs. Washington Wizards
- Sun. Apr. 3 vs. Utah Jazz
- Tue. Apr. 5 @ Atlanta Hawks
- Thu. Apr. 7 @ Houston Rockets
- Sat. Apr. 9 @ New Orleans Pelicans
- Mon. Apr. 11 vs. Sacramento Kings
- Wed. Apr. 13 vs. Los Angeles Clippers
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