NBA 2011-2012 game and broadcast schedules announced

NEW YORK, Dec. 6, 2011 – The NBA today released its complete 2011-12 regular-season schedule and broadcast schedules for ABC, ESPN, TNT, NBA TV, and NBA on ESPN Radio, contingent on the timely ratification of the new collective bargaining agreement. The league’s 66th season will feature each team playing 66 regular-season games and was unveiled tonight exclusively on NBA TV at 7 p.m. ET.

Following the season tip-off on Christmas Day, with a five-game slate previously announced, Kia NBA Tip-Off ’11 includes 109 NBA games highlighted by a series of marquee doubleheaders Tuesday, Dec. 27, Thursday, Dec. 29, and Friday, Jan. 6. NBA TV will also present five doubleheaders during the period starting Monday, Dec. 26, through Wednesday, Jan. 4.

This marks the second consecutive season that Kia Motors, the Official Automotive Partner of the NBA, has been the title partner of NBA Tip-Off.

The first doubleheader on Tuesday, Dec. 27, features the Miami Heat playing its home opener against the Boston Celtics (8 p.m. ET). The second game features the Utah Jazz traveling to L.A. to face the Lakers (10:30 p.m. ET). The Thursday Dec 29 double-feature includes a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals as the Dallas Mavericks travel to Oklahoma City (8 p.m. ET) to play the Thunder, followed by the Lakers hosting the New York Knicks (10:30 p.m. ET).

After four games on Christmas Day, the season continues during the Kia NBA Tip-Off ’11 on Jan. 6, with a Friday doubleheader with the Chicago Bulls against the Orlando Magic (8 p.m. ET). In the second game, the Portland Trail Blazers travel to Phoenix to take on the Suns (10:30 p.m ET).

NBA TV tips off the season with a Monday night doubleheader when the Houston Rockets play at Orlando at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the Sacramento Kings hosting the Lakers at 10 p.m. ET on Dec. 26.

TNT

In its 28th year of NBA coverage, TNT will televise 45 regular-season games, including 32 as part of Thursday night doubleheaders and a doubleheader on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. TNT will also televise NBA All-Star 2012 festivities in Orlando Feb. 24-26, culminating with its exclusive presentation of the NBA’s 61st All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 26.

ABC & ESPN

ESPN will televise 75 regular-season games, which include 23 games on Wednesdays and 25 on Fridays. ESPN telecasts are also available via ESPN3, with nearly all on ESPN Mobile TV. ESPN Deportes (ESPN’s Spanish-language U.S. sports network) will present 19 games and ESPN 3D will also televise select regular-season games. The ABC national television schedule consists of 15 exclusive regular-season broadcasts and tips off with a doubleheader on Christmas Day.

The NBA on ABC and ESPN presents flexible scheduling throughout the regular season in order to provide the most compelling matchups to a national audience.

NBA TV

NBA TV will present its 96-game slate, which will include 33 doubleheaders this season. For the fourth consecutive year, NBA TV will feature Fan Night on Tuesdays throughout the season. On Fan Night, NBA fans are given the opportunity to vote for the games they want to see televised nationally on NBA TV on that particular night. Fan Night begins this season on Tuesday, Jan. 3.

ESPN RADIO

The NBA on ESPN Radio’s 23-game regular-season scheduled begins opening day with Miami at Dallas on Christmas Day at 2:30 p.m. ET. The NBA on ESPN Radio will also broadcast all the events from NBA All-Star 2012 in Orlando.

2011-12 Key Television Matchups:

Highly-anticipated television matchups throughout the regular season include:

HEAT VS. MAVERICKS (Dec. 25, 2:30 p.m. ET; March 29, 8 p.m. ET)

Both games between 2011 Finals opponents, the Heat and Mavericks, will be televised nationally. In addition to ABC’s presentation of the Christmas Day season-opener, TNT will air the regular season rematch when the Mavericks travel to Miami on March 29.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY (Jan. 16)

The NBA will again celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with a full schedule of games on Jan. 16, including four nationally-televised contests. The Bulls visit the Memphis Grizzlies (1 p.m. ET), followed by the Atlanta Hawks hosting the Toronto Raptors on NBA TV (4 p.m. ET). There will also be an evening doubleheader beginning with the Celtics hosting the Thunder (8 p.m. ET), followed by a match of Western Conference powerhouses as the Mavericks visit the Lakers (10:30 p.m. ET).

LAKERS VS. MIAMI (Jan. 19, 8 p.m. ET)

In one of the league’s marquee matchups, the Heat hosts the Lakers Jan. 19.

CELTICS VS. LAKERS (Feb. 9, 8 p.m. ET; March 11, 3:30 p.m. ET)

Both games between the NBA’s two all-time winningest franchises will be nationally televised as the Lakers visit the Celtics Feb. 9, and Boston travels to Los Angeles March 11.

BULLS VS. HEAT (Jan. 29, 3:30 p.m. ET, March 14, 8 p.m. ET)

Last year’s Eastern Conference finalists will play two games on national TV as the Bulls visit the Heat Jan. 29, and Miami then travels to Chicago March 14.

For the eighth straight season, ABC will exclusively broadcast The Finals, which tips off next June. This season, TNT is the exclusive home of the 2012 NBA Western Conference Finals and ESPN will exclusively televise the 2012 NBA Eastern Conference Finals.

NBA LEAGUE PASS

Once again, NBA LEAGUE PASS will offer up to 40 out-of-market games per week. Games included in NBA LEAGUE PASS are in addition to those available on ABC, TNT, NBA TV, ESPN, ESPN2 and local networks. NBA LEAGUE PASS is available on DIRECTV, DISH Network, and most digital cable and telephone providers, and is also available for fans to access on NBA.com and select mobile devices.

NBA CHRISTMAS DAY GAMES

The season begins Sunday, Dec. 25 with five televised games. The Celtics visit the Knicks to tip off the season (12 p.m. ET). We then have a double-header when the Mavericks host the Heat in a rematch of The Finals (2:30 p.m. ET), followed by the Bulls visiting the Lakers (5 p.m. ET). The day rounds off with a pair of games when the Thunder hosts the Orlando Magic (8 p.m. ET), and the Clippers visit the Golden State Warriors (10:30 p.m. ET).

NBA.com offers day-by-day and team-by-team schedules as well as regular-season telecast schedules of the league’s domestic broadcast partners – ABC, ESPN, TNT, NBA TV, and the NBA on ESPN Radio.

Last season, NBA games and programming were seen in 215 countries and territories in 46 languages.