Earlier starts for TV games
The NBA schedule is a little easier on players.
Fans might be catching a break — and more sleep — as well.
The league announced its 201920 schedule n Monday, featuring another dip in backtoback games for teams and a change in the number of nationally televised games starting at 10:30 p.m. on the East Coast. The Warriors and Lakers will start several games a halfhour earlier than usual, and broadcasters ESPN and Turner are going to earlier start times on many midweek doubleheader nights.
Such a change has been on Commissioner Adam Silver’s mind for some time, because roughly half of the nation’s television homes are in the Eastern time zone — but a number of the league’s biggest names play on the West Coast. It wasn’t uncommon for nationally televised midweek games to end around 1 a.m. last season, and that was not good for ratings.
“It’s something that I think we have to address,” Silver said in May.
ESPN’s Wednesday doubleheaders — mostly at 8 and 10:30 p.m. Eastern time last season — will begin at either 7 or 7:30, followed by a second game at either 9:30 or 10 in the East. TNT had nine Tuesday doubleheaders last season with the second game starting at 10:30; this season, that number is down to two, with the second game now starting usually at 9:30 or 10.
In all, there were 57 games on national television starting at 10:30 p.m. last season. That number falls to 33 this season.
Meanwhile, players might be getting more rest this season as well. For the fifth straight year, the NBA has found a way to lower the average number of times a team has to play on consecutive days. The league average is 12.4 backtobacks this season, 36% down from the average of 19.3 five years ago.
Other highlights from the 201920 schedule: Opening night: Toronto will get its rings Oct. 22, when it hosts New Orleans and No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson. The Lakers — now featuring Anthony Davis with LeBron James — will play the Clippers — now featuring Kawhi Leonard and Paul George — in the second half of that doubleheader, and that will be one of the 10:30 p.m. Eastern nationally televised midweek games that otherwise will be largely avoided this season. Christmas: Toronto gets to host a Christmas game for the first time, playing Boston at 9 a.m. Pacific. The other Christmas matchups: Milwaukee at Philadelphia, 11:30 a.m.; Houston at the Warriors, 2 p.m.; Clippers at Lakers, 5 p.m.; New Orleans at Denver, 7:30 p.m. Europe in prime time: The schedule features 48 games — 24 on Saturdays, 24 on Sundays — that will air in prime time in Europe. That doesn’t include the Jan. 24 game in Paris between Milwaukee and Charlotte.