Lakers’ 2024-25 schedule includes fewer back-to-back games and Michael Cooper’s jersey retirement – ​​Daily News

After a road-heavy start to the season, the Lakers’ 2024-25 schedule will be more balanced from the start, feature fewer back-to-back games and include one jersey retirement.

The NBA released its regular-season schedules on Thursday, featuring an Opening Night matchup and JJ Redick’s debut as Lakers coach against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 22 at Crypto.com Arena.

The matchup against the Timberwolves will kick off a three-game homestand to begin the season, which includes games against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 25 and the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 26 before the Lakers embark on a five-game road trip.

Of the Lakers’ first 19 games, 10 will be at Crypto.com Arena and nine will be on the road.

As part of the schedule launch, the Lakers announced that the franchise will retire Michael Cooper’s No. 21 jersey when they host the Victor Wembanyama-led San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 13, 2025. Cooper was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame earlier this year and will be enshrined in mid-October.

Other notable games include:

• Oct. 30: Cleveland; LeBron James returns to the place where he began his career and spent 11 of 22 seasons;

• Nov. 23: vs. Denver; first matchup against the Nuggets after Denver eliminated them in the past two postseasons;

• December 25: at Golden State; Christmas Day matchup against the Warriors in San Francisco;

• January 7, 2025: in Dallas; the first game against the Mavericks, defending Western Conference champions;

• January 19, 2025: at Clippers; first game against the Clippers at the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood after being co-tenants of Crypto.com Arena for 25 years;

• January 23, 2025: vs. Boston; hosting the defending NBA champion Celtics;

• April 13, 2025: in Portland; regular season finale against Trail Blazers.

The Lakers’ longest streak of Southern California matchups will be from Jan. 9-23, when they will play eight games, including a Jan. 19, 2025, matchup against the Clippers. They will host five games at Crypto.com Arena from Jan. 9-17, 2025 (Charlotte, San Antonio twice, Miami, Brooklyn), then travel to the Clippers before hosting the Washington Wizards on Jan. 21, 2025, and the Celtics on Jan. 23, 2025, prior to their six-game Grammy road trip.

The Grammys’ trip (Jan. 25, 2025, to Feb. 4, 2025) will include matchups against Golden State, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Washington and New York before concluding with the Lakers’ return to Southern California for a showdown against the Clippers.

The Lakers’ five-game road trip from Oct. 28 to Nov. 6 (Phoenix, Cleveland, Toronto, Detroit, Memphis) is tied for the most consecutive games outside of Southern California, while their six-game homestand from Feb. 25, 2025, to March 6, 2025 (Dallas, Minnesota, Clippers twice, New Orleans, New York) will be their most consecutive games at Crypto.com Arena.

They have 13 consecutive game series, seven of which involve travel, compared to 15 consecutive games and 10 involving travel last season.