GRIZZLIES SCHEDULE
National TV slate set at 13
Zach Randolph and the Griz open regular season Oct. 30 with a road test against the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs.
They will start with an evenhanded slate and then enjoy some home- cooking before finishing with the challenge of being road warriors.
The Grizzlies’ 2013-14 regular-season schedule released Tuesday evening featured the ordinary NBA pitfalls with this caveat: They will be featured nationally almost as much as last season.
Memphis opens the 2013-14 regular season Oct. 30 on the road against the San Antonio Spurs — the squad that swept the Griz in the Western Conference Finals last season — and then later hosts the Spurs Nov. 22 on ESPN in the first of 13 nationally televised games.
That’s only two national ap-
pearances shy of the franchise record from a year ago.
The Griz will appear seven times on NBA TV, five on ESPN and once on TNT. Memphis was on national television 15 times last season.
November starts with the Griz entertaining the Detroit Pistons for the home opener Nov. 1 in FedExForum. The league’s schedule release also included a continuation of a Memphis tradition.
New Orleans’ visit to FedExForum Jan. 20 at 4 p.m. will mark the 12th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day game and cap a stretch in which Memphis hosts six of seven games over a 16-day period.
However, the Griz will enjoy their most comfortable month in December when they play 10 home games, tying the club’s most home contests in a single month since moving to the Bluff City in 2001. The Griz wrap up the calendar year by hosting Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls on Dec. 30 in FedExForum.
The Grizzlies’ longest home stand lasts six games from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 with games against Brooklyn, Phoenix, the Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State, Orlando and Oklahoma City.
A five-game road slate featuring Utah, Golden State, Portland, Denver and Minnesota will highlight Memphis’ longest road trip from March 26 to April 2.
Coach Dave Joerger must have his team playing at its best in March, when 11 of 17 games will be on the road. That month also features five of the Grizzlies’ 18 back-to-back sets. Memphis will play 17 of its final 30 games on the road following the 2014 All-Star Game on Feb. 16.
The Grizzlies’ regularseason finale — a home game against Dallas — will be April 16. Overall, Memphis will play 18 of its 41 home games on the weekend, including seven on Friday, nine on Saturday and two on Sunday.
The team will announce its local broadcast schedule at a later date.