'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
With the league announcing the schedule for the 2021-22 NBA season, fans are already dissecting the LA Lakers' list of fixtures.
LeBron James and co. face one of the toughest schedules in the league, given their back-to-back games and road trips. Rob Pelinka and James (the de facto GM) have assembled a superteam with Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis, so they are expected to top the Western Conference standings.
If you want include Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard as well, then their list of former All-Stars shoots up even further.
Naturally, a lot of pressure will be on the LA Lakers to succeed next season, given their personnel. Anything less than an NBA Finals appearance will be considered a massive failure even if the players bag individual awards.
What have we learnt from the LA Lakers' schedule?
The 2021-22 LA Lakers are not just one of the oldest teams in the league, but they also have one of the oldest rosters of all time, with a whopping eight players who are older than 32.
These players might be Hall of Fame-bound veterans, but they'll need more rest than their younger counterparts. Per LA Lakers reporter Mike Trudell, the team will be flying roughly 47,000 miles on road trips, which is in the upper echelon for Western Conference teams. The fewest miles any team in the West will fly this season is 39,000 miles, with the most being 51,000.
There are several interesting points to draw from the 2020 champions' upcoming schedule. So without further ado, here are three things to note from the LA Lakers' 2021-22 NBA schedule:
#1 Home and Road Games
The LA Lakers' 2021-22 regular-season schedule is an interesting one because 25 of their first 41 games are at home. Mike Trudell has reported in this regard:
"First thing that jumps out about the 2021-22 schedule: the Lakers will be home for 12 of the first 15 games, and only 3 of those 12 home opponents made the playoffs last season."
This isn't necessarily a good thing. Sure, they'll be high in the standings by the All-Star break, but when everyone buckles up to get going all out by the end of the season, the Lakers will face plenty of road games.
Moreover, everyone is expected to start out the season healthy, and given the age in the LA Lakers' roster, they have a high chance of injury as the season progresses. So is having home games first and road ones later really the best timetable for this LA Lakers team?
The LA Lakers' longest road trip will last ten days, when they'll visit six teams in January - Magic, Heat, Nets, 76ers, Hornets and Hawks. Moreover, their longest homestand will last nine days, wherein they'll host the Hornets, Heat, Timberwolves, Spurs and the Bulls.
February is going to be relaxing for the team, as all their games are on the West Coast (PST). They have road games at Golden State and Portland, with another one against the Clippers in their own building.
#2 The LA Lakers' back-to-back games
The LA Lakers feature 12 back-to-back games in the 2021-22 NBA season, which isn't a very high number considering the jam-packed and condensed schedule last season.
They are also below the league average of 13.7 back-to-backs. The LA Lakers will be entering the new season with a 120-day offseason, as Game 6 of the Suns series was on June 3rd, and the opening night of next season is on October 3rd. So the back-to-back games shouldn't bother them.
In two of the 12 back-to-back schedules, there will be no travel. One is a homestand with the Spurs and Bulls visiting, and the other one is a home game against the Blazers and then a road game at Clippers right next door.
#3 The LA Lakers' key matchups
![LeBron James (left) and Stephen Curry [Source: USA Today]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/08/771ba-16294922171095-800.jpg)
The LA Lakers start their campaign with a marquee matchup against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, in a replay of their last season's blockbuster play-in tournament matchup.
They face the Brooklyn Nets superteam with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden on Christmas Day. The Christmas Day matchup is arguably the biggest game of the year for any team.
For starters, Durant and LeBron James will face each for the first time since the 2018 Christmas game, as James missed the April matchup last season, and Durant missed the earlier ones (he was injured in 2019-20). Moreover, former teammates Irving and James will face each other again and so will Westbrook and Durant.
The LA Lakers face the Utah Jazz on MLK Day. Moreover, they will take on Golden State and Phoenix four times and face Denver and Dallas thrice, with two games in each matchup on the road. They'll visit New Orleans and Utah just once next season.
The LA Lakers' schedule has 42 nationally televised games on either ESPN, ABC, NBA TV or TNT. They have 56% of their home games on the weekend, including Friday, above the league average of 45%.
The LA Lakers currently have the second-best odds to win the 2022 NBA championship, just a smidge behind the Brooklyn Nets. As is well known, LeBron James is quite hungry for another championship, and after receiving no votes for the 'best player of the league' poll, we should expect an MVP-caliber campaign from the four-time MVP.
You may also like: NBA Free Agency Rumors: LA Lakers exploring the possibility of signing Isaiah Thomas.
Guess the Lakers players!
