Knicks Release 2015-16 Schedule

By | 2016-10-28T17:42:52-08:00 August 20th, 2015|News|Comments Off on Knicks Release 2015-16 Schedule

Derek Fisher and the new-look New York Knicks are looking to turn things around this season after enduring a transitional period last year, and now they know exactly how that path to improvement will look

The NBA released its 2015-16 schedule last week, and D-Fish’s squad will have their stamina put to the test with 17 back-to-back games slated for the upcoming campaign. Fish and the Knicks will also be featured on national television 16 times this season, with four games being broadcasted on TNT, three on ESPN and the remainder on NBATV.

The opener for the 2015-16 season kicks off with the first of those 17 back-to-backs. It all begins on Oct. 28 on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks. Then the Knicks will head home to Madison Square Garden, where they’ll host the top team in the Eastern Conference from last year’s regular season, the Atlanta Hawks. That contest will air on TNT at 8 p.m. ET.

Fish will have to start formulating a game plan for LeBron James early in the season as the Knicks are slated to play the Cleveland Cavaliers twice in close proximity. New York will be in Cleveland on Nov. 4, then host the Cavs on Friday, Nov. 13. Both games will be nationally televised, the first on ESPN and the second on NBATV at 8 and 7:30 p.m., respectively.

TARRYTOWN, NY - JUNE 26: New York Knicks Head Coach Derek Fisher speaks to the media at the Madison Square Garden Training Facility on June 26, 2015 in Tarrytown, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2015 NBAE (Photo by Steven Freeman/NBAE via Getty Images)

The longest homestand of the season for the Knicks is scheduled to take place between Nov. 27 and Dec. 4. The Knicks will face off against Miami, Houston, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn. Some key games to watch will be when Amar’e Stoudemire makes his return to MSG as a member of the Heat and when Jahlil Okafor makes his debut at the Garden against Kristaps Porzingis. Okafor was taken with the third overall selection in this year’s draft by the Sixers, one pick before the Knicks nabbed Porzingis.

The four-game home spurt concludes with a Friday night 7 p.m. ET ESPN bout against the Knicks’ crosstown rivals, the Brooklyn Nets. Revenge will be on the Manhattan club’s mind that night, as the Nets swept the four-game series last year. That is the first of six nationally televised tilts for New York in the month of December. The others will come against the Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, Orlando Magic, Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. The Kings’ contest will air on TNT, with the rest coming on NBATV.

After the New Year, New York has another big meeting with the Miami Heat on Jan. 6 on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET. The Knicks also head to Brooklyn for the first time this season on Jan. 13. Several big games headline the end of January: a TNT Thursday night tilt against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 28, as well as trips by the Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder and defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors to MSG.

The month of February brings another TNT tilt against the Washington Wizards on Feb. 9, as well as a Martin Luther King Jr. Day matchup with the Nets at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The longest road trip of the season is an interesting six-game stretch, which takes place from Mar. 8-19. Highlighting the trip is a Mar. 11 meeting with the Clippers, which will be broadcast on NBATV. Two nights later, New York will be back in action at the Staples Center against Derek’s longtime team, the Lakers.

New York Knicks v Los Angeles Lakers

 

After that injection of nostalgia for Coach Fish, his squad finishes its road trip against the Warriors and Wizards before returning home to host the Kings on Mar. 20 on NBATV at 7:30 p.m. ET. Three key Eastern Conference contests follow: a home-and-home back-to-back against the Chicago Bulls, followed by a pilgrimage by LeBron James and the defending conference champion Cavaliers to The Garden.

New York finishes March with a quick trip south to take on the New Orleans Pelicans and the Dallas Mavericks before closing the season and the road to the playoffs with six straight East matchups.

The Knicks will be at home for four of their final six regular season games in April against the Nets, Indiana Pacers, Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors. The final regular season game at home is on Apr. 10 against the Raptors, and the regular season finale is on Apr. 12 against the Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

To see the squad’s full 2015-16 slate, visit Knicks.com.