The 2021-2022 NBA calendar was released today and the Memphis Grizzlies will now be able to pencil in some key dates on their schedule.
The first time you can see the new-look Grizzlies in action will be in the first preseason game on October 1st, 2021 when they take on the defending NBA champions, the Milwaukee Bucks. The team will play a total of six pre-season games, according to a press release from the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies will kick off their regular season at home this season, taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7 p.m. CST. The game will feature rookie sensation Evan Mobley and young stars Collin Sexton and Darius Garland as they travel to the FedEx Forum to take on Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies will appear on national TV 11 times this season. The Grizzlies will appear on ESPN five times, with four games on NBATV and two games on TNT, according to the schedule posted by the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Memphis Grizzlies’ first game on national TV will be early in the season. The Grizzlies will be on ESPN on October 27th in Portland to take on Damian Lillard and the Blazers.
One of the biggest games annually for the Grizzlies is the MLK Game, which is always a nationally broadcasted game with pre-game ceremonies honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
This year, on January 17th, the Grizzlies will be hosting the revamped Chicago Bulls. TNT will broadcast the game featuring Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, and Nikola Vučević taking on Jaren Jackson Jr. and the Memphis Grizzlies in what is always a special day in Memphis.
Other notable dates to keep in mind for the Grizzlies will be the All-Star game. This year, Cleveland will be hosting All-Star weekend, with the featured game being played on Feb. 20th. Fans will be watching the ballot returns this year to see if Ja Morant can make the leap from rising star to All-Star.
Fans will also want to tune in to see if rookies Ziaire Williams and Santi Aldama are invited to play in the Rising Stars Challenge, which typically features first and second-year players playing on a United States team and another team formed of players born outside the United States.
The last game of the regular season will be a home game against the Boston Celtics, taking place April 10th.
If the Grizzlies are as successful as they were last season, they will most likely want to keep an eye on the play-in tournament, which takes place April 12th through April 15th. The format for the mini-tournament remains the same this season, with the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th place teams playing for the right to become the 7th and 8th seed in the playoffs.
Should the Grizzlies win the play-in tournament or make the playoffs outright, the postseason is scheduled to begin April 16th.
There are a couple of teams fans will certainly have circled on their calendar, like games against former Memphis Grizzlies greats Mike Conley and Marc Gasol.
The Grizzlies will play Mike Conley and the Utah Jazz three times this season. If the first-round matchup in the NBA Playoffs were any indication, this game will certainly be electric and an opportunity for the Grizzlies to get some revenge after the Jazz bounced the Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs last season. The Grizzlies play at Utah on Nov. 22 and April 5. Dillon Brooks and the Grizzlies will host the Jazz in Memphis on Jan. 28.
Grizzlies legend Marc Gasol will be returning to his former home in Memphis twice this season, Dec. 9 and Dec. 29 to take on Kyle Anderson and the Grizzlies. The team will travel to Los Angeles to take on Gasol, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, and Anthony Davis on Oct. 24 and Jan. 9.