WashingtonWizards.com's staff broke down the 2013-14 Wizards schedule...
5 Games You Can't Miss at Verizon Center:
Nov 8: Brooklyn at Washington
These were fun games last year, but now that Brooklyn has added even more to their roster they should be an exciting team to watch. Adding to their "Big 3" from a year ago (Williams, Johnson, Lopez), the Nets went out and added two future Hall-of-Famers in Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. This should propel them to be one of the premiere teams in the East. They also signed first-year head coach Jason Kidd to run the show, which will certainly be interesting to watch. The Wiz welcome them to town on the second Friday of the year and this will be the first real marquee opponent the Wizards do battle with in the 2013-14 season.
Dec 14: Los Angeles Clippers at Washington
This used to be the 'other' team from L.A., but now stocked with stars of their own, the Clippers are one of the hottest tickets in town. Their biggest move of the off-season wasn't acquiring a player (though they did add some nice new roles players; Jared Dudley, J.J. Redick, Darren Collison, Byron Mullens), but rather a coach as they traded for the Celtics' Doc Rivers to take over their head coaching position. Following this move, Chris Paul re-signed and the Clippers will once again be a threat in the west and be one of the more exciting teams to watch.  Watching John Wall go toe-to-toe with Chris Paul and seeing Nene bang down low with Blake Griffin should be well worth the price of admission!
Jan 11: Houston at Washington
After making noise just before the start of the 2012-13 season with the James Harden trade, the Rockets made the biggest splash of this past off-season when they signed free-agent center Dwight Howard. Harden, Howard, and the rest of the Rockets make their one stop at Verizon Center on Saturday, January 11th in what should be a high-scoring epic affair.Â
Jan 15: Miami at Washington
Just four days after the Rockets leave town, the defending NBA Champions make their way to Verizon Center for the first time during the 2013-14 season. Last season, the Wizards stunned the Heat, 105-101 in their opening game on Dec 4. The Verizon Center should be rocking on this Wednesday night in January as John Wall and the Wizards look to take down the defending champs again!
Feb 1: Oklahoma City at Washington
It's Super Bowl weekend and what better way to get ready for the NFL's big game than to watch this high powered showcase at Verizon Center on Saturday night. The Wiz have beaten the Thunder two straight times at home, but neither by more than one possession and if history repeats itself this should be another thriller on the Verizon Center floor.Â
Season Opener:
Oct 30: Washington at Detroit
The Wizards open the 2013-14 season on the road in Detroit which should be a good test to kick off the year. The Pistons have re-loaded this off-season, adding Josh Smith, Brandon Jennings, and Chauncey Billups to go along with their talented young frontcourt featuring Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond. Nobody knows how this new-look team will play together, so maybe the Wizards will be able to take advantage of their inexperience playing with one another. Regardless, this should be a good battle between two teams likely fighting for a playoff spot at the end of the year.Â
Home Opener:
Nov 1: Philadelphia at Washington
The Wizards will kick off their home slate against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, November 1st! Having entered rebuilding mode, the 76ers are being picked to finish near the bottom of the Eastern Conference in 2013-14. However, you can't overlook anyone in the NBA and being opening night at Verizon Center, the Wizards will want to start things on the right note and give a maximum effort for the home crowd. This should be a fun one to get things going in DC.Â
Happy New Years!:
Jan 1: Dallas at Washington
For the second year in a row, the Wizards will bring in the New Year with a game against Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks. What better way to celebrate 2014 then coming out to Verizon Center for what is sure to be an exciting game between two up-tempo teams.
MLK Jr. Day:
Jan 20: Philadelphia at Washington
In a day that is always special around the D.C. area, the Wizards will host the Philadelphia 76ers in a matinee on MLK Jr. Day in 2014. This will be Philly's second trip to Verizon Center after the two teams play in the Wizards home opener on November 1st.
Friday Night Lights:
The Wizards will play at home eight times on Friday night. The Verizon Center will be rocking with some of the biggest names in the game taking the stage underneath the Friday Night Lights!
Friday Night Lights
Date | Opponent | Venue | Time (EDT) |
---|---|---|---|
Fri, November 1 |
vs. Philadelphia 76ers |
Verizon Center | 7:00pm |
Fri, November 8 |
vs. Brooklyn Nets |
Verizon Center | 7:00pm |
Fri, December 6 |
vs. Milwaukee Bucks |
Verizon Center | 7:00pm |
Fri, January 3 |
vs. Toronto Raptors |
Verizon Center | 7:00pm |
Fri, January 17 |
vs. Chicago Bulls |
Verizon Center | 7:00pm |
Fri, February 7 |
vs. Cleveland Cavaliers |
Verizon Center | 7:00pm |
Fri, March 28 |
vs. Indiana Pacers |
Verizon Center | 7:00pm |
Working on the Weekend:
If you are too busy to come out to Verizon Center during the week, take a look at the array of games being played on the weekend this season:
Weekend Slate
Date | Opponent | Venue | Time (EDT) |
---|---|---|---|
Sat, November 16 |
vs. Cleveland Cavaliers |
Verizon Center | 7:00 pm |
Sat, November 23 |
vs. New York Knicks |
Verizon Center | 7:00 pm |
Sat, November 30 |
vs. Atlanta Hawks |
Verizon Center | 7:00 pm |
Sat, December 14 |
L.A. Clippers |
Verizon Center | 7:00 pm |
Sat, December 28 | vs. Detroit Pistons | Verizon Center | 7:00 pm |
Sun, January 5 |
vs. Golden State Warriors |
Verizon Center | 6:00 pm |
Sat, January 11 |
vs. Houston Rockets |
Verizon Center | 7:00 pm |
Sat, January 18 |
vs. Detroit Pistons |
Verizon Center | 7:00 pm |
Sat, February 1 |
vs. OKC Thunder |
Verizon Center | 7:00 pm |
Sun, February 9 | vs. Sacramento Kings |
Verizon Center | 6:00 pm |
Sat, February 22 | vs. New Orleans Pelicans |
Verizon Center | 7:00 pm |
Sat, March 15 | vs. Brooklyn Nets |
Verizon Center | 7:00 pm |
Sat, March 29 |
vs. Atlanta Hawks |
Verizon Center | 8:00 pm |
Sat, Apr 5 |
vs. Chicago Bulls |
Verizon Center | 7:00 pm |
Sat, Apr 12 |
vs. Milwaukee Bucks |
Verizon Center | 7:00 pm |
Life on the Road:
The Wizards will have two road trips of four or more games during the '13-'14 season. The first comes in January when they take to the road for a four city-six day trip that will include stops in Phoenix (Jan 24), Utah (Jan 25), Golden State (Jan 28) and Los Angeles (Clippers) (Jan 29).
Road Trip
Date | Opponent | Venue | Time (EDT) |
---|---|---|---|
Fri, January 24 | at. Phoenix |
US Airways Center | 10:00 pm |
Sat, January 25 | at. Utah |
EnergySolutions Arena | 10:00 pm |
Tues, January 28 | at. Golden State |
Oracle Arena |
10:30 pm |
Wed, January 29 | at. Los Angeles Clippers | Staples Center | 10:30 pm |
The next big trip comes in March when the team hits the road for a four city-six day trip with stops in Sacramento (Mar 18), Portland (Mar 20), Los Angeles (Lakers) (Mar 21), and Denver (Mar 23).
Date | Opponent | Venue | Time (EDT) |
---|---|---|---|
Tues, March 18 | at. Sacramento | Sleep Train Arena | 10:00 pm |
Thurs, March 20 | at. Portland | Rose Garden | 10:00 pm |
Fri, March 21 | at. Los Angeles Lakers | Staples Center | 10:30 pm |
Sun, March 23 | at. Denver Nuggets | Pepsi Center | 5:00 pm |