The Bulls will begin the 2019-20 season Oct. 23 at the Hornets, part of a two-game trip that concludes Oct. 25. versus the Grizzlies. Their home opener is Oct. 26 against the defending NBA champion, Kawhi Leonard-less Raptors.
The Bulls play four of their five October games on the road and also will be away from Chicago for Thanksgiving, part of a three-game trip at the Warriors on Nov. 27, at the Trail Blazers on Nov. 29 and at the Kings on Dec. 2.
But November is a home-friendly month, with nine of 15 games scheduled at the United Center.
Their longest homestand is four games, which they have four times. Their longest trip is five games and it’s a tough one: at the Jazz on March 30, at the Nuggets on April 3, at the Suns on April 5, and at the Lakers and Clippers on April 7 and 8. That’s the new-look Lakers, who acquired Anthony Davis to run with LeBron James.
The Bulls play 12 sets of back-to-back games, which is almost right at the league average of 12.4. That average number is down from last season’s average of 13.3 sets of back-to-back games per team, part of the leaguewide initiative to prioritize rest and product. For the third straight season, there are no four-games-in-five-nights scenarios and there are no eight games in 12 days for the second straight season.
Also, the number of five games in seven nights is down 80 percent from 2016-17, an average of 0.6 per team as opposed to an average of three per team. The NBA also pushed up start times from many late nationally televised games, dropping the number of 9:30 p.m. Central tipoffs from 57 to 33.
Not that the Bulls have to worry about that; their lone national TV appearance is Jan. 17 at the 76ers on ESPN.
Here are five other games to watch:
Nov. 1 vs. Pistons
Derrick Rose makes his first of two trips with his new team early in the season. Rose has played for the Knicks and Cavaliers and Timberwolves since his trade from his hometown team, but this promises to be the first time he will play against the Bulls at the United Center as a Central Division rival. Two nights later, Bulls newcomer Thaddeus Young returns to Indiana.
Dec. 14 vs. Clippers
Leonard, Paul George and the new-look Clippers make their lone United Center appearance. Clippers coach Doc Rivers, who starred at Proviso East, gets to make his annual statement that Illinois high school basketball is the best in the country.
Dec. 18 at Wizards
Tomas Satoransky returns to the face the team that signed-and-traded the guard to the Bulls in free agency, part of a tough four-game trip.
Feb. 6 vs. Pelicans
Zion Williamson is scheduled for a preseason game at the United Center, but this is his lone regular-season appearance. And it’s also noteworthy for the fact the Bulls don’t play another home game until beginning a four-game homestand Feb. 20. That’s because the NBA takes over the United Center to play host to the All-Star Game on Feb. 16.
April 15 at Celtics
If the Bulls make the playoffs, they’ll have earned it. Their season finale concludes a brutal stretch that features eight of their final 13 games on the road. Eleven of those games are against teams projected to make the playoffs.
