The 2022-23 schedule for all 30 NBA teams has finally been released, and it allows fans the opportunity to start marking their calendars and planning around the can’t miss games on the schedule. While not every team shares the same goals for the 2022-23 season, they all have games where fans will be circling dates and trying to make sure they’re in the building for or at least able to watch on TV, and here we are going to highlight five such games for each team.
In this space, we will peek at the New York Knicks, with myriad storylines to capture. A season after exploding to the No. 4 seed in the East, regression came for New York with the Knicks needing a late push to reach 37 wins. A lot went wrong for the Knicks, headlined by Julius Randle’s struggles, but New York has an infusion of guard talent with Jalen Brunson now in the fold. New York did send out several rotation veterans, including Nerlens Noel, Alec Burks and Kemba Walker, but the Knicks brought in a quality center in Isaiah Hartenstein and an intriguing draftee in Trevor Keels to support Brunson. New York will, as usual, be in the spotlight whether they get Donovan Mitchell or not, and the Knicks have a number of standalone matchups to showcase what the team hopes is real progress.
Below is a glance at five marquee matchups for New York this season.
November 9, 2022: at Brooklyn Nets (ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET)
It is always a party when the two New York squads get together on national television. There is a bit of extra juice in the wake of the news that Kevin Durant will be sticking around Brooklyn for a while, and Barclays Center should be lively on this particular night. In addition, the Knicks and Nets could conceivably be battling for playoff positioning, even if in different tiers, and the stakes are real for a November matchup between cross-town rivals.
November 15, 2022: at Utah Jazz (TNT, 10:00 p.m. ET)
This could go two ways. One path is that Donovan Mitchell is still a member of the Jazz, and the Knicks are coming to Salt Lake City after months of rumors, playing in front of a national TV audience. The other path is that Mitchell is a member of the Knicks and returning to Utah for the first time in an opposing uniform. Either way is pretty interesting.
December 25, 2022: vs. Philadelphia 76ers (ESPN, 12:00 p.m. ET)
The NBA’s biggest regular season audience arrives on Christmas, and this is the opener of the day. It is debatable that the Knicks “earned” inclusion on the Christmas slate after a pedestrian season a year ago, but Madison Square Garden is a character in itself. This is also a conference matchup against a very good Sixers team, and Joel Embiid will enjoy the extra spotlight of the holiday.
December 27, 2022: at Dallas Mavericks (8:30 p.m. ET)
This is the only regionally televised game on the list, but it is a good one. For one, the Mavericks project to be very good again, and Luka Doncic is must-see television. The real appeal in this one is the return of Jalen Brunson to Dallas, though, and there is enough buzz about his exit from the Mavericks that some extra emphasis could be on this matchup.
March 5, 2023: at Boston Celtics (ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET)
There are a few real options in the second half of the season, but a prime time national TV game against the reigning Eastern Conference champs takes top billing. It’s a good measuring stick for the Knicks, especially if New York is still competing for the postseason by March, and Boston projects to be excellent once again.
Source: https://uproxx.com/dimemag/new-york-knicks-schedule-release-2022-23-biggest-games/