Breaking down the details of the 2024-25 Lakers schedule

With the release of the 2024-25 NBA schedule, we can now take a look at the marquee matchups and how the season could play out for the Lakers.

With the NBA season fast approaching, the league announced the full schedule for all teams on Thursday.

We already had the Lakers' opening night opponent, the Minnesota Timberwolves, revealed, along with the Emirates NBA Cup group game schedule.

With the rest of the schedule now out, let's take a closer look at what the 2024-25 season looks like for the purple and gold.

Overview

In the end, all schedules will have positives and negatives and all teams will play 82 games across the league.

The Lakers' schedule seems pretty balanced, with fewer back-to-backs, plenty of nationally televised games and homestands late into the season.

The beginning of JJ Redick's tenure as head coach will be intense, as the first four games will be nationally televised, but that's the nature of being a Laker. The spotlight is bright and if you shine, you are a star; if you don't, you flame out.

National TV schedule

One aspect fans always want to know is how many times they'll be able to watch their team play on national television. The Lakers always have more games on the national stage and 2024-25 will be no different. The Lakers will be on national TV, meaning ESPN, NBA TV, TNT and ABC, a grand total of 39 times.

No team has more national TV games than the Lakers. That might frustrate some of the smaller markets, including those with better current win projections like the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the truth is, when the Lakers play, people watch. They either want to see Los Angeles do well or burst into flames, but regardless, they tune in.

Back-to-backs

Back-to-backs are always a point of contention with players and fans alike. With the Lakers having the oldest star in NBA history, LeBron James, the hope is that the franchise will play as few back-to-backs as possible.

Los Angeles will have 13 back-to-backs this season, two fewer than last year. So, while that's not a significant dip from last year, hopefully, it helps LeBron and Anthony Davis play a couple more games and stay a bit fresher.

Road Trips

The Lakers' longest road trip of the season is a six-game trip that begins on Jan. 25 versus the Warriors and ends in Los Angeles on Feb. 4 against the Clippers.

The second longest road trip is early in the season, in October.

This five-game trip begins on Oct. 28 versus the Suns and ends on Nov. 6 when the Lakers play Memphis.

Homestands

On the other end, the Lakers' longest stay at home begins in late February and ends in March, spanning six games. Funnily enough, the Lakers had a similar six-game span on their schedule around the same dates last year.

This year's homestand begins on Feb. 25 against the Mavericks and ends on Mar. 6 against the Knicks.

Their second-longest stay in Los Angeles is eerily similar to the longest, with just a few minor changes. This stretch is five games long, still begins against Dallas but is on Jan. 7 and ends with a game against Brooklyn on Jan. 17. If you want to be petty, you can say it's an eight-game homestand as the game that breaks up the streak is the Lakers' first match against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Inuit Dome.

However, for the sake of journalistic integrity, we will not label the Intuit Dome game as a home game for the Lakers or call the building a mean name like Lakers South.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.