Indiana Pacers release their 2019-20 NBA schedule

The Indiana Pacers schedule for the 2019-20 NBA season has now been released. Here are some quick thoughts on the slate.

It is that time of year where everybody gets to pick what games they go to. The Indiana Pacers and the rest of the NBA has released their schedule which brings a lot of excitement through out the league.

Here are some quick thoughts about the Indiana Pacers schedule:

Opening Week:

Indiana opens their season on October 23rd at Bankers Life Fieldhouse to play division rival, Detroit Pistons, and play four division games in their first five games. They play Detroit and the Cleveland Cavaliers twice in that span.

National Television:

The Pacers are not known to be recognized on national television and this year they play 12 nationally televised games, six on NBATV and six on ESPN or TNT.

Their NBATV games are against the Philadelphia 76ers on November 30th, Los Angeles Lakers  on December 17th, Toronto Raptors on December 23rd, Golden State Warriors on January 24th, Portland Trail Blazers on January 26th, and Los Angeles Clippers on March 30th.

They do not play on ESPN or TNT until February 7th against the Raptors, followed by the Milwaukee Bucks on February 12th, Trail Blazers on February 27th, Bucks on March 4th, Warriors on March 18th, and Celtics on April 8th.

Former Pacers Return Dates:

Thaddeus Young of the Chicago Bulls returns November 3rd, Bojan Bogdanovic of the Utah Jazz returns November 27th, Cory Joseph of the Sacramento Kings returns December 20th, Wesley Matthews of the Milwaukee Bucks returns November 16th, and Kyle O’Quinn of the Philadelphia 76ers returns December 31st.

Notable Big Games:

Paul George and Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers come to Indiana December 9th. LeBron James and Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers visit Bankers Life Fieldhouse December 17th and Indiana travels to play the Lakers April 1st.

Fan favorite, Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans comes to Indiana February 8th and the Pacers visit New Orleans December 28th.

Other Notes:

The Indiana Pacers have 11 back-to-backs on their schedule and are ranked 27th in total miles traveled this upcoming season.

Toughest part of their schedule appears to be from November 17th to December 2nd with opponents including the Lakers, Bucks, Raptors, Heat, 76ers, and Nuggets.

The Pacers have one road game from January 27th to February 20th.

Overall, the Pacers schedule is fairly balanced with travel and not playing too many good teams in a short stretch of time. It all kicks off in just two short months.