As Jason Kidd looks forward to his third year at the helm of the Milwaukee Bucks, he and his team now know the road the lies ahead of them to get back to the postseason.
The NBA released its 2016-17 schedule Thursday night, and the Bucks learned that they’ll start the new campaign at home: with back-to-back games at the BMO Harris Bradley Center against the Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets on Oct. 26 and 29.
The first full month of the season is highlighted by a national TV tilt against Jason’s longtime squad, the Dallas Mavericks. Milwaukee will visit the American Airlines Center on Nov. 6 for an NBA TV Sunday night showcase. Eight of Milwaukee’s 13 November games come at home, including visits from both the 2015 and 2016 NBA champions. The Golden State Warriors come to town on Nov. 19, and the reigning champion Cleveland Cavaliers visit the Bradley Center just 10 days later.
December brings some interesting action as well, starting with a four-game homestand from Dec. 3-9. That stretch brings visits from the Nets and three playoff squads from last season: the San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers and Atlanta Hawks. Midway through the month comes a home-and-home with the Bucks’ regional rivals, the Chicago Bulls. Milwaukee hosts Chicago on Thursday, Dec. 15, a game which will be aired nationally on TNT. The teams then play in the Windy City the very next night.
The home meeting with the Bulls is the first of four nationally televised games for the Bucks in December. The following three are all on NBA TV, and all on the road, against the Cavs, Minnesota Timberwolves and finally another tilt with the Bulls, on New Year’s Eve at the United Center.
Milwaukee starts the 2017 calendar year with a tough test against Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Next comes a home-and-home with the New York Knicks: at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 4, then at the Bradley Center on Jan. 6—and the latter matchup of that series will air on ESPN.
Several tough road contests follow in January: including a trip down to San Antonio on the 10th, a voyage to Atlanta on the 15th and a journey north of the border to take on the Toronto Raptors on the 27th, as well as a three-game trip from Jan. 18-21 that takes them through Houston to Florida.
The Bucks end the first half of the season with a visit to Brooklyn. Then, just a few days after the All-Star break, Milwaukee pays a visit to LeBron James and the Cavs on Feb. 27. The all-important final full month of the season opens with six out of seven home games in March—but a treacherous West Coast trip follows, including contests at Memphis, both Los Angeles squads, Golden State, Portland and Sacramento over a grueling 10-day span.
April won’t be any easier as the Bucks hope to be playing for playoff contention and seeding. Four of Milwaukee’s final six games come on the road. Jason and Co. open April by hosting the Mavericks before visiting OKC, Indiana and Philadelphia. Charlotte comes to town for the final regular-season home game on April 10, and the Bucks wrap things up on the road two nights later against another playoff hopeful in the Eastern Conference: the Boston Celtics.
For start times and to see the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2016-17 schedule in its entirety, visit Bucks.com.
