The Warriors had one thing on their minds as they glanced over the tough start to their 82-game slate: Redemption.
Those who got their hands on the preliminary version of the Warriors schedule ahead of Thursday’s official release were quick to see the heavy dose of road games coming Golden State’s way right off the bat. After opening the season at home with a nationally televised game against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 24, the Warriors will play seven of their next eight games away from the Bay. Six of those seven opponents were in the last season’s play-in tournament or playoffs and that stretch includes stops in Sacramento, Cleveland and Denver, the home of the defending NBA champions.
First-year general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said there had been plenty of talks in recent days about the start of Golden State’s schedule.
“There’s a little bit of a feel of redemption after last year’s struggles on the road, wanting to get back out there and prove ourselves,” said Dunleavy, alluding to the Warriors’ abysmal 11-30 road record last season. “Some people may look at it as an issue starting on the road early… But for us, we’re looking forward to taking the opportunity and going for it early. It’s something we feel like we got to bounce back from last year and I know our guys will be ready and motivated.”
Overall, the NBA schedule makers weren’t too kind to the Warriors. While the Denver Nuggets have the easiest strength of schedule, according to Positive Residual, the Warriors boast the sixth hardest in the league.
Here’s what you need to know about the Warriors’ 2023-24 schedule:
Playoff rematches:
First-round rematch against De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and the Kings:
– Oct. 22 and Nov. 28 in Sacramento
– Nov. 1 and Jan. 25 at Chase Center
Western Conference semifinals rematch against LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers:
– Jan. 27 and Feb. 22 at Chase Center
– March 16 and April 9 in Los Angeles
Other games to circle:
Oct. 24 vs. Phoenix: The NBA is a soap opera and episode one of the 2023-24 season will tip-off with a drama-packed matchup of two teams poised to be among the Western Conference’s best. Not only will it be new Warriors Chris Paul (that’s still weird to write) first game against his former team that dealt him this summer for Bradley Beal, but it might also be the first time Kevin Durant will play in front of Warriors fans since he left in the summer of 2019. Add in a fiery Klay Thompson who got his first career ejection after getting into it with Devin Booker, this game has the makings for must-see TV.
Nov. 24 vs. Spurs: Top pick Victor Wembanyama will make his debut at Chase Center, giving Bay Area basketball fans an opportunity to see the 7-foot-5 French phenom and arguably the most hyped NBA Draft prospect since LeBron James.
Dec. 22 vs. Wizards: After being traded to the Wizards for Paul, Jordan Poole will make his return to Chase Center right before Christmas alongside Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins, who were also part of that trade. When Poole talked at Summer League last month, he had little to say about the Warriors, but there should be plenty of motivation for him to put on a show against his former team.
Dec. 25 at Nuggets: The Warriors will play on Christmas Day for the 12th consecutive year. This will be the second time the Warriors play the defending champions in Denver.
Jan. 15 at Grizzlies: Ja Morant is expected to be back from his 25-game suspension after he was captured on film twice appearing to wave a gun. The Grizzlies always bring out another side to the Warriors, who play Memphis two additional times after this Martin Luther King Jr. Day meeting.
And another thing…
The NBA will hold its inaugural in-season tournament this season, with group play games taking place nearly every Tuesday and Friday in November. Eight teams will advance to the quarterfinals, which will be played at home arenas on Dec. 4 and 5. The last four teams standing will earn a portion of prize money and will head to Las Vegas for the final two rounds of the tournament, with the championship game set for Dec. 9. All games, save for the championship matchup, will count toward the 82-game regular-season schedule.
Each team was provided an 80-game schedule for now. The other two games will be based on how they fare in the in-season tournament.
The Warriors landed in West Group C along with the Sacramento Kings, Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs.
Here’s a look at the Warriors’ in-season tournament schedule:
Nov. 3: at Thunder – 5 p.m.
Nov. 14: vs. Timberwolves – 7 p.m.
Nov. 24: vs. Spurs – 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Nov. 28: at Kings – 7 p.m. (TNT)
Back-to-backs
Sorry, Warriors fans in New Orleans — you may be out of luck once again.
The Warriors are slated to play a league-tying-high 15 back-to-backs this season, and their only scheduled trip to New Orleans falls on the second night of their first set.
Last season, Golden State sat almost all of its veteran starters in New Orleans on a back-to-back, with the lone exception of iron man Kevon Looney. The news of the Warriors’ only scheduled trip to New Orleans is sure to be a disappointment to Curry fans in the Big Easy, who haven’t seen the two-time MVP play there in either of the last two seasons.
While the Warriors had only three home-home matchups last season, they’ll have six this time around as well as seven sets of back-to-backs taking place on the road. It’s also worth noting that the Warriors will have only four sets of back-to-backs after the All-Star break.
Longest homestand and trip
The Warriors needed all 82 games last season to dodge the play-in tournament and outright secure their spot in the playoffs. If they find themselves in a similar position this time around then they could find themselves in trouble.
The Warriors’ longest trip this season will come March 24 through April 4 when the team embarks on a 12-day trip across seven cities that includes stops in Minnesota, Miami, Orlando, Charlotte, San Antonio, Dallas and Houston. They also have one five-game trip before the All-Star break (Feb. 2-8) as well as three four-game expeditions (Nov. 3-8, Jan. 12-17 and Feb. 27-March 3.)
Meanwhile, their longest homestand is a seven-game stretch after Christmas and over New Year’s. From Dec. 28-Jan. 10, the Warriors will host the Heat, Mavericks, Magic, Nuggets, Pistons, Raptors and Pelicans.
Broadcast schedule
The Warriors will make 29 national TV appearances on ABC, ESPN and TNT, starting with their season opener against the Suns on TNT. Their two games in Denver, including on Christmas Day, will be televised on ESPN.
In total, five of the Warriors’ games are scheduled for ABC. They’ll have another 12 on TNT and 12 on ESPN as well as 12 on NBA TV.
Key dates to know
Oct. 3 — Training camp opens
Oct. 7 — Preseason opener vs. Lakers
Oct. 24 — Opening Night: Warriors vs. Suns at Chase Center
Nov. 3 — In-season tournament play begins: Warriors at Oklahoma City
Dec. 4/5 — In-season tournament quarterfinals
Dec. 8/9 — In-season semifinals/championship game in Las Vegas
Feb. 18 — All-Star Game in Indianapolis
April 14 — End of regular season: Warriors’ season finale vs. the Jazz