NBA Schedule 2015-16: League Releases Official Regular-Season Slate

Tyler ConwayAug 12, 2015

After slow leaks gave fans a preview of what to expect for the NBA's biggest regular-season nights, the league finally released the full 82-game schedule for every team on Wednesday.

The campaign will tip off Oct. 27, headlined by the reigning champion Golden State Warriors hosting the New Orleans Pelicans and the Cleveland Cavaliers visiting the Chicago Bulls.

The schedule includes five Christmas Day games, including a rematch of the 2015 NBA Finals when the Cavaliers face the Warriors and a Los Angles showdown between the Clippers and Lakers.

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Sports Illustrated's Ben Golliver provided the entire Christmas Day slate:

Perhaps the most anticipated game on the slate won't feature any teams that even made it past the second round. On Nov. 11, the Los Angeles Clippers and DeAndre Jordan will make a trip to Dallas to play the Mavericks. This game will have exactly zero championship implications, as the Mavs are more likely to be headed toward a top-10 pick than the playoffs.

However, a large part of the reason for that is Jordan. The All-NBA center famously committed to Dallas early in free agency only to waffle in the final days of the moratorium and return to Los Angeles. The situation has been talked about at length since, with the two sides each saying their piece and some calling for an end to the moratorium period altogether.

"As everyone knows, I struggled with it," Jordan wrote for The Players' Tribune. "It was nine or 10 days of intense pressure. Every night, I would have a different scenario in my head, of the city and team where I thought I would fit best. I had several meetings with teams and even more conversations with my family and friends. I kept thinking about what it really meant to be 'home,' and I would go back and forth."

Both sides have moved on, but Jordan will receive one of the most sour responses all season from spurned Mavericks fans.

On a more positive note, a number of players will be making a triumphant return from injury. For the third time in as many seasons, Kobe Bryant's opening night at Staples Center will come following a serious injury. A torn rotator cuff in January limited Bryant to 35 games last season; the 36-year-old future Hall of Famer has played exactly 41 games total since his Achilles injury in 2013.

There is also the ongoing speculation that Bryant will retire following the 2015-16 season. His contract, the subject of widespread scorn around the league, expires after this campaign, and it's pretty clear the Lakers are in the midst of a youth movement. No. 2 pick D'Angelo Russell looks primed to take Bryant's spot at shooting guard the moment the Black Mamba hangs it up.

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

Kevin Durant returns from his own lost season on Oct. 28 against the San Antonio Spurs. A Jones fracture in his foot during the preseason limited the 2014 MVP to 27 games after he underwent three surgeries. The most coveted free agent of the 2016 class, the Thunder have put themselves in the luxury tax for an all-in push at a title this season. Durant's health will be paramount to making that happen.

Jabari Parker, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh will also look to get back to doing what they do best after shortened campaigns. Parker's rookie season was cut off at 25 games due to a torn ACL. A broken leg limited Paul George to six games at the end of the last regular season. Anthony and Bosh were both post-All-Star break casualties, with Melo undergoing surgery on a balky knee and Bosh undergoing treatment for blood clots.

Beyond the games, perhaps the greatest hope for 2015-16 is that the NBA has better luck keeping its stars on the floor.

Here is the entire schedule for the 2015-16 season.