Milwaukee Bucks: Schedule released for 2019-20 NBA season
By Adam McGee
The countdown to the 2019-20 Milwaukee Bucks’ season is now officially underway, with the NBA releasing the regular season schedule on Monday afternoon.
After an outstanding season last year, which included a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals and the NBA’s best record, the Milwaukee Bucks’ focus can now officially switch to what lies ahead.
On Monday afternoon, the Bucks and the NBA’s 29 other teams learned the path they must plot through to the postseason, as the regular season schedules for the 2019-20 season were officially unveiled.
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For Milwaukee, the season is set to start in spectacular fashion. The Bucks will hit the road for their opener and will face the formidable task of matching up with the new look Houston Rockets to get the season underway.
The October 24 matchup, which will be televised on TNT, will not only be Russell Westbrook‘s first with the Rockets, but an early season clash between Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden, the league’s two most recent MVPs.
The Bucks’ home opener will follow two days later when the Miami Heat, now led by former Marquette star Jimmy Butler, make the trip to Fiserv Forum for a 4pm C.T. start.
Other standout games on the calendar include the November 2 visit of the defending champion Toronto Raptors, Malcolm Brogdon‘s return to Fiserv Forum with the Indiana Pacers on December 22, the previously reported Christmas Day clash with the Philadelphia 76ers (which is scheduled for a 1.30pm CT tip), an MLK Day matchup with the rival Chicago Bulls, and a clash with the Charlotte Hornets in Paris on January 24.
In total, the Bucks will have 24 games on national TV, split between ESPN, TNT, and ABC. That equates to the sixth most of any NBA team. Those games are broken down as follows:
ABC: 4 games (Dec. 25 at PHI, Feb. 22 vs. PHI, March 14 vs. GSW, April 5 at BOS)
ESPN: 10 games (Oct. 30 at BOS, Nov. 6 at LAC, Dec. 11 vs. NOP, Jan. 8 at GSW, Feb. 12 at IND, Feb. 28 vs. OKC, March 4 vs. IND, March 6 at LAL, March 25 vs. HOU, April 1 vs. TOR)
TNT: 10 games (Oct. 24 at HOU, Nov. 21 vs. POR, Dec. 19 vs. LAL, Jan. 16 vs. BOS, Feb. 4 at NOP, Feb. 6 vs. PHI, Feb. 25 at TOR, March 12 vs. BOS, April 7 at PHI, April 9 vs. BKN)
Additionally, the Bucks will also have 10 games on NBA TV.
Overall, the Bucks will face 11 back-to-backs, and will have to deal with two season-long four-game road trips. Those trips out West are broken up a little differently to previous years, with visits to the Timberwolves, Clippers, Jazz and Thunder in November, and then the Spurs, Warriors, Kings, and Trail Blazers in January.
There will be no abnormally long, sustained home-stands for Milwaukee either, with four games being the Bucks’ longest spell at home, and occurring in both November and March. That March stretch is of note for being the first half of a stretch when seven out of eight Milwaukee games will be played at Fiserv Forum.
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Of course, before any of those games take place, the Bucks will first embark on a five-game preseason schedule, starting on October 7.