The upcoming NBA season will have some new wrinkles to it, namely via the broadcast partners of the league. This season we’ll have games spanning ESPN, NBC, Amazon Prime and more. As the media landscape splinters increasingly from the traditional cable bundle past, this is the new normal.
The usual suspects got the most nationally televised games with the Lakers, Knicks, Warriors and Thunder each receiving 34 nationally televised games. Makes sense.
Other winners include the Timberwolves with 28, Rockets with 28, Nuggets with 26 and Celtics with 25 (even with Jayson Tatum’s absence). The star youngsters in the state of Texas mean the Spurs get 22 (Wemby) nationally televised games and the Mavericks get 23 (Flagg).
The Orlando Magic made a lot of noise this offseason with the Desmond Bane move, and since then, the hype has been rolling for this down franchise. The Magic get 14 nationally televised games. Much more than they’ve had really in the last decade. The league also announced recently that the Magic will play in Europe in January, showcasing the German star Franz Wagner in front of his home country in a Berlin game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Things are looking up for the Magic.
Things aren’t as happy in Phoenix and Indiana with both the Suns and Pacers only getting 9 nationally televised games. Worse yet, the Heat, Bulls, Hornets, Pelicans, Nets, Raptors, Jazz and Wizards all had 5 of fewer.