The 2022-23 NBA schedule has finally been officially released, and while we’ve known about the opening night slate on TNT and the Christmas Day schedule on ESPN and ABC for almost a week, we now can start to look at what teams we will see the most on a national scale.
Unsurprisingly, this year’s national TV schedule heavily features the league’s biggest stars and best teams, as the reigning champion Warriors, reigning East champion Celtics, Lakers, Bucks, Sixers, Suns, and Clippers all find their way onto the ESPN and TNT schedule for nearly 25 percent of their seasons. However, there are some up-and-coming teams that are also cracking into the ranks of national TV regulars, with the Mavericks, Grizzlies, Nuggets, and Pelicans all getting a number of national spotlight games.
The Warriors lead the way with 30 combined games on ESPN, ABC, and TNT, while the Lakers (27), Celtics (26), Sixers (23), Bucks (23), Mavs (22), Suns (22), and Clippers (20) all feature 20-plus appearances. All 30 teams get at least one major national TV game (with NBA TV also carrying 107 national games this year, albeit with some blackout restrictions and not on as big of a network).
ESPN/ABC games
Warriors: 18
Celtics: 17
Lakers: 16
Mavs: 15
Bucks: 14
Sixers: 13
Suns: 13
Grizzlies: 11
Clippers: 10
Knicks: 10
Nuggets: 9
Bulls: 8
Nets: 8
Heat: 7
Timberwolves: 6
Hawks: 5
Pelicans: 5
Cavs: 4
Raptors: 2
Blazers: 2
Hornets: 2
Wizards: 1
Pacers: 1
Rockets: 1
Kings: 1
Spurs: 1
TNT games
Warriors: 12
Lakers: 11
Clippers: 10
Sixers: 10
Celtics: 9
Suns: 9
Bucks: 9
Mavs: 7
Grizzlies: 7
Nuggets: 7
Pelicans: 6
Nets: 5
Heat: 4
Timberwolves: 3
Knicks: 3
Hawks: 3
Bulls: 3
Raptors: 2
Cavs: 2
Jazz: 1
Magic: 1
Pistons: 1
Blazers: 1
Hornets: 1
Wizards: 1
Thunder: 1
