Last month, the NBA announced the full regular-season schedule for the 2023-24 season. While there is some familiarity, a distinct change in the form of the new in-season tournament will be sure to excite. With basketball just around the corner, here is what you need to know to keep up with the Spurs this coming NBA season.
Preseason
With a start date of Oct. 25 for the season opener at home, it may seem like a ways away. Luckily, before every regular season, the preseason is a glimpse of what is to come in terms of possible lineups. While it does not affect standings for the postseason or draft odds, the importance of preseason cannot be understated.
The Spurs will start on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder at 7 p.m. CT on Monday, Oct. 9. At 6:30 p.m. CT on Friday, Oct. 13, the team will make their official home debut at the Frost Bank Center, formerly known as the AT&T Center, against the Eastern Conference champions Miami Heat. Afterward, the Spurs will face the Houston Rockets in two home games at 7 p.m. CT on Monday, Oct. 16 and Wednesday, Oct. 18. The Spurs will close the preseason on the road against the Golden State Warriors at 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Oct. 20, in San Francisco.
Regular Season & In-Season Tournament
To start the season, the Spurs will host the Dallas Mavericks at 8:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Oct. 25, in the first of their 19 scheduled nationally televised games. Matchups that will air on ESPN, TNT and NBA TV include the Phoenix Suns, the Warriors, the Thunder, the Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Spurs will face the Rockets at home at 7 p.m. CT on Friday, Oct. 27 before traveling to the Crypto.com Arena to play against the Los Angeles Clippers at 8 p.m. CT on Sunday, Oct. 29. Finally, to close the month of October, the Spurs will go against the Suns at 9 p.m. CT on Halloween at the Footprint Center in a matchup airing on TNT.
Throughout November, the team will match up against the Suns, the Toronto Raptors, the Indiana Pacers and the Knicks before the start of the in-season tournament. The first stage in the tournament is comprised of Group Play games, which the Spurs will have to play four of. Eight teams, the six winning teams and the teams in both conferences with the best record in the games that finished second in their group, will advance to the second stage, the Knockout Rounds. The competition starts for the Spurs at home at 7 p.m. CT on Nov. 10 against the Minnesota Timberwolves before traveling to face the Thunder at 6:30 p.m. CT on Nov. 14 on TNT. Returning home to host the Kings at 6:30 p.m. CT on Nov. 17 on ESPN, the team will close the first round of the NBA’s inaugural tournament on the road against the Warriors at 9 p.m. CT on ESPN.
Some other notable games include San Antonio’s annual Rodeo Road Trip of a nine-game away stretch that starts on Feb. 7, where the team will match up against the Heat, the Brooklyn Nets, the Mavericks, the Kings and the Lakers among other teams. Right before the trip is a stretch of seven home games from Jan. 24 to Feb. 3 against the Thunder, the Portland Trailblazers, the Timberwolves, the Washington Wizards, the Orlando Magic, the New Orleans Pelicans and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Spurs will also play two home games in Austin at the Moody Center against the Denver Nuggets at 7:30 p.m. CT on Friday, March 15 and at 6 p.m. CT on Sunday, March 17 against the Nets. Finally, the regular season will wrap at 2:30 p.m. CT at home on April 14 against the Detroit Pistons.
