NBA releases preseason slate for Dec. 11-19

As the NBA continues to move toward starting its 2020-21 season on Dec. 22, a slate of 49 preseason games will be played from Dec. 11 through Dec. 19 to allow teams to prepare for the upcoming campaign.

Each NBA team will play at least two preseason games — one at home and one on the road — and none will play more than four. The preseason schedule will begin with a five-game slate on Dec. 11 — highlighted by a meeting between the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and their co-tenants at Staples Center, the LA Clippers.

Other games of interest:

As part of Friday’s announcement, the NBA said it plans to release the first half of the league’s 72-game regular-season schedule “in the coming days.” The league had previously announced plans to present its schedule in blocks, with the first half coming out before the season, and the second half being released at a later date.

The NBA came up with that plan to account for the possibility that games will inevitably need to be rescheduled due to complications from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and to allow for more flexibility in doing so.