4. November
After opening the 2012-13 season with back-to-back games against the Mavericks and Trail Blazers on the 30th and 31st of October, the Lakers begin their first full month of games against the Clippers on November 2nd.
It seems as though the Lakers always play a ton of home games to start each season. 2012-13 is no different. Of the team’s 14 games in November, only four are on the road.
Included in those 10 games at Staples Center are contests with: Detroit, Phoenix, Houston, Golden State and Sacramento, teams who will likely be on the outside looking in come playoff time.
Three of the team’s four road games are against 2012 playoff teams, with the first coming against Utah in Salt Lake City, where the Jazz always play quality basketball. Two of the road games come in back-to-back fashion against the Grizzlies and Mavericks on the 23rd and 24th, respectively.
The Lakers also have two tough home games against the Spurs and Nuggets.
With 70 percent of the team’s games being played at home, it’s hard to consider November a terribly tough month, despite three tough road games.
Game of the Month – November 2nd vs Los Angeles Clippers: Last season, for the first time in eons, the Clippers and their fans could legitimately argue they had the better of the two basketball teams in Los Angeles. Given the parity between the two teams in 2011-12, the Lakers and Clippers started forming something the two cross-town rivals never had before: a legitimate rivalry.
Given the offseason acquisitions of Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, the Lakers are once again the unquestionable kings of the city. But the Clippers have made their own improvements, adding Lamar Odom, Jamal Crawford and Grant Hill this offseason. For the second straight season, fans can expect a quality slate of games between the two Los Angeles franchises.
Home Games: 10
Road Games: 4
Back-to-Backs: 2
November 20-21: vs Brooklyn, @ Sacramento
November 23-24: @Memphis, @Dallas
Nationally Televised Games: 2
November 2nd vs Clippers, November 30th vs Nuggets. Both can be seen on ESPN.
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