2017-2018 NBA Schedule Released: Kings to begin at home against the Rockets on October 18th

Today, the NBA released their full schedule for the 2017-2018 season. I’ve listed some important dates below, but the entirety of the schedule can be found here.

Season Starter

As leaked by Carmichael Dave earlier in the day, the Kings will begin the season against the Houston Rockets at the Golden 1 Center on October 18th. James Harden, and new teammate Chris Paul, will face the Kings after traveling up from Golden State the night prior. Mike D’Antoni’s two-headed monster will certainly be a challenge for game number one, but the Rockets may be a bit fatigued coming to Sacramento.

National TV Games

The Kings will be on national TV four times this year, all at home.

TNT - 10/26 vs New Orleans Pelicans 7:30pm PT

ESPN - 11/22 vs Los Angeles Lakers 7:30pm PT

ESPN - 2/2 vs Golden State Warriors 7:30pm PT

ESPN - 2/9 vs Portland Trailblazers 7:30pm PT

The Return of Boogie

DeMarcus Cousins’ return to town will be nationally televised on October 26th and he’ll be back again on March 7th.

Fox vs Ball

We can expect Lonzo Ball to suffer some random injuries on November 2nd, January 9th, February 24th, and again on April 1st.

Defending Champs

Omri Casspi and the Golden State Warriors will be in Sacramento on February 2nd and March 31st.

Longest Road Trip

The Kings will be gone from January 19th - January 30th, starting against the Grizzlies and ending their 6-game road trip against the Pelicans.

Longest Home Stand

From March 19th - March 31st the Kings will be at the Golden 1 Center, facing the Pistons, Hawks, Celtics, Mavericks, Pacers, and Warriors.

Last Game

The season ends where it began, at home against the Rockets on April 11th. I assume we’ll all be hoping for a loss for draft positioning. Hello Michael Porter!

Former Players

• Arron Afflalo will be taking a random, post-up, turn-around jump shot over Buddy Hield on March 9th.
• Ben McLemore and Tyreke Evans come back to Sacramento on December 31st as members of the Grizzlies.
• Darren Collison will be in town on March 29th.
• Rudy Gay and the Spurs will be visiting on December 23rd, the Kings last game before Christmas.
• Anthony Tolliver and Langston Galloway return on March 19th.
• Hopefully Matt Barnes never comes back to Sacramento again

Other Notes

• Most Kings home games have reverted back to a 7:00pm Pacific start time. Good news for you East Coasters or people who like to get to bed at a decent time after the games.
• The Kings have 16 back-to-back games.
• 20 of the Kings first 33 games are on the road.
• The NBA eliminated all four games in five nights sessions.