Kings fans patiently are waiting for the 2023-24 NBA season to start, and they finally got a taste of what’s to come.
The NBA released the regular-season schedule Thursday, with all 82 games laid out from October to April, including 70-plus games that will air on NBC Sports California.
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Sacramento will open the new season on the road, on Oct. 25 against the Utah Jazz. If the Kings-Jazz matchups are anything like they were last season, fans are in for a season-opening treat.
Then, Kings fans will pack Golden 1 Center for a Oct. 27 home-opener rematch with Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors, whom they lost to in last season's Western Conference first-round playoff series. It won’t be long until the teams meet again, as the Kings will travel 86 miles West to San Francisco for a Nov. 1 showdown at Chase Center.
Several high-caliber matchups are set for December at Golden 1 Center, including the Kings' first meeting with reigning NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic and the league champion Denver Nuggets on Dec. 2. They'll face Kawhii Leonard, Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers on Dec. 12 on the road before returning home for a six-game homestand.
The Kings then will host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 14, the Jazz on Dec. 16 and the new-look Washington Wizards on Dec. 18 before Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics come to town on Dec. 20, and Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns roll in two days later on Dec. 22. The Kings conclude the homestand Dec. 23 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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Sacramento's final road trip of 2023 begins with a matchup in Portland against Keegan Murray's twin brother, Kris, and the Trail Blazers on Dec. 26, followed by a game against Kevin Huerter's former team, the Atlanta Hawks, on Dec. 29. The Kings finish the year with a New Year’s Eve contest against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Sacramento will begin the New Year with four games at home against the Charlotte Hornets (Jan. 2), Orlando Magic (Jan. 3), Toronto Raptors (Jan. 5) and the New Orleans Pelicans (Jan. 7) before going on a five-game road trip.
In March, Sacramento will play 11 games at home, which marks the most games at Golden 1 Center in a single month during the 2023-24 season.
The Kings will travel to New York for their final road trip of the season to face the Knicks on April 4 before heading to TD Garden against the Celtics on April 5. Sacramento will finish the road trip with matchups against the Nets (April 7) and Thunder (April 9) before wrapping up the regular season at home with games against the Pelicans (April 11), Suns (April 12) and Trail Blazers (April 14).
Sacramento will play 10 of its first 15 games on the road. Its longest road trip will be seven games away from Golden 1 Center from Jan. 25 to Feb. 5. The Kings will have two six-game homestands, the first from Dec. 14 to Dec. 23 and the second from March 7 to March 18.
Of the team’s 15 back-to-back sets, six are home-home, six are away-away, two are away-home and one is home-away.
Sacramento’s 41-game home schedule features 16 weekend contests at Golden 1 Center (seven games on Fridays, four on Saturdays and five on Sundays).