2011-12 NBA Schedule Announced: OKC Thunder To Play 27 National TV Games

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced their schedule for the upcoming 2011-12 NBA season Tuesday, and will begin the year on the road versus the Los Angeles Lakers on November 1, according to a team release.

The season opener against the Lakers is one of 27 nationally televised games the Thunder will take part in next year.

The home opener will be played on November 4 against the Indiana Pacers.

The schedule is based on a normal, full 82-game season, but with the possibility that the current lockout could shorten or eliminate the entire 2011-12 season, it's unclear if all of these games will be played as scheduled.

OKC will be featured on ESPN nine times this season, eight times on TNT, five times on NBATV and two times on ABC, both at home (Chicago 4/1/12 and Los Angeles Lakers 4/8/12).

More than half of the Thunder's home games, 24, will be played on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Last season the Thunder won 55 games and were 30-11 at home. They advanced to the Western Conference Finals but lost to the eventual NBA champion Dallas Mavericks in five games.

Thunder fans who wish to buy season tickets should call 405.208.HOOP (4667) or email [e-mail], according to the team's official web site.

Nicholas Goss is an NBA and Oklahoma City Thunder featured columnist for Bleacher Report, follow him on Twitter for Thunder news and analysis.