The NBA will officially release its schedule later on today, but there are already certain games beginning to leak out.
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Yesterday, it was rumored that the Lakers will travel to Chicago to play former Laker Pau Gasol and the Chicago Bulls. Now, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the Lakers will face a familiar foe when they open the season:
In another game on the calendar with reunion implications, L.A. will open the season against the Houston Rockets, according to sources. Bryant was injured for all four of the Lakers’ games against Houston last season in Dwight Howard’s first campaign with the Rockets after spurning L.A. in free agency last summer.
This game will be a part of the NBA’s Opening Night slate of games. The other games aren’t known just yet, but the champion San Antonio Spurs are sure to be playing that night as well.
The Lakers-Rockets game is sure to get a lot of attention. Lakers fans continue to despise Dwight Howard ever since he left the Lakers last summer. Additionally, the Lakers acquired Jeremy Lin this off-season making it a reunion game on both ends.
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Last season, opening night was one of the best highlights of the season for the Lakers as their bench carried them in the fourth quarter to a surprising 116-103 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Lakers lost three out of four games to the Rockets last season, but the one win may have been the moment of the year as Steve Blake would hit a three-pointer over Howard with 1.3 seconds remaining to give the Lakers a 99-98 win.
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