The Washington Wizards will kick off the upcoming season in Indiana on Oct. 19 and face Chicago for their home opener Oct. 21 following their brief jaunt to Japan for a couple of preseason games this fall. They will close the year April 9 in Houston.
Wizards get homey autumn, rough winter in 2022-23 schedule
Thin national TV schedule
Out-of-market viewers hoping to catch a glimpse of the Wizards are generally out of luck this season. Washington is scheduled to play just five times on national TV. Three of those games are slated for NBA TV. Here’s the schedule:
Friday, Oct. 28 vs. Indiana, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
Thursday, Dec. 22 at Utah, 9 p.m. on NBA TV
Tuesday, Jan. 3 at Milwaukee, 8 p.m. on NBA TV
Monday, Feb. 13 at Golden State, 10:30 p.m. on NBA TV
Tuesday, Feb. 28 at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
Holiday highlights
The Wizards’ traditional afternoon game on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan. 16) should be a fun one — they will host the Golden State Warriors at 3 p.m. at Capital One Arena. Otherwise, the Wizards should get Christmas and Thanksgiving off, though they will be on the road for turkey day in the middle of two consecutive games against the Heat on Nov. 23 and Nov. 25.
Winter woes
Eleven of the first 17 games of the season will be at Capital One Arena, which should give the Wizards some time to recuperate after a trip to Japan in late September. But the flip side of all those front-loaded home games is a gnarly December and January slate. Washington’s longest road trip of the season is Dec. 13-23, a whopping 11-day, six-game stretch that includes two back-to-backs. They will play Denver, both Los Angeles teams, Phoenix, Utah and Sacramento.
A week later, they will head out on a nine-day trip to play Orlando, Oklahoma City and Milwaukee twice. They will close out January with one last eight-day saga.
The schedule features a hefty 14 back-to-backs, though three of those will require no travel.
John Wall’s return
It’s hard to believe, but John Wall still hasn’t played a game in front of fans at Capital One Arena since he was traded in December 2020. He will have his first chance Dec. 10 when the Wizards host the Clippers in the second half of a back-to-back after playing at Indiana.
You can view the full 2022-23 schedule here.
Source: WP
