Memphis, Tennessee – The Memphis Grizzlies will tip off their ninth NBA season in the Bluff City (15th overall) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 28 against the new-look Detroit Pistons at FedExForum. The season opener marks the eighth time since moving to Memphis that the Grizzlies have made their debut at home.
After opening with two home games (Oct. 30 vs. Toronto), the Grizzlies travel for 12 of their next 17 games, including two season-long five-game road trips (Nov. 1-7 and Nov. 25-Dec. 2). It marks the club’s longest stretch away from Memphis since a six-game swing during the 2006-07 season (March 24-April 1, 2007). Despite a road heavy start to the season, 11 of the team’s first 19 games are against teams that did not qualify for the 2009 NBA Playoffs.
Memphis plays 21 of its 41 home games during the weekend, including 12 on Friday night, eight on Saturday night and one Sunday matinee vs. the Denver Nuggets (Dec. 20 at 3 p.m.). The Grizzlies will host their eighth consecutive Martin Luther King Jr. Day Game in Memphis on Jan. 18 in a nationally-televised game on TNT vs. the Phoenix Suns, marking the Grizzlies’ second MLK Game appearance against Phoenix in the last four seasons (137-122 Suns victory on Jan. 15, 2007).
Other home highlights include two matchups against Kobe Bryant and the 2009 NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 1 and Feb. 23. Led by 2008-09 NBA MVP LeBron James and newly acquired center Shaquille O’Neal, the Cleveland Cavaliers make their lone appearance in Memphis on Dec. 8. Fan favorite Boston Celtics and perennial All-Stars Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen make their only appearance at FedExForum on Dec. 14. When the Los Angeles Clippers come to the Home of the Blues on Nov. 18 and Jan. 12 Grizzlies offseason acquisition Zach Randolph will face off against his former team, while the top two picks in the 2009 NBA Draft, Blake Griffin and Hasheem Thabeet, will go head-to-head.
Last year’s NBA Rookie of the Year runner-up O.J. Mayo will go head-to-head against 2008-09 NBA Rookie of the Year and former University of Memphis standout Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls at FedExForum on March 16. The Sacramento Kings’ fourth overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft and ex- Tigers’ star Tyreke Evans also returns for his only game at his old stomping grounds on Nov. 23.
The Grizzlies will play 20 back-to-back sets, down from a league-high 22 last year, including two home sets on Jan. 15-16 (Minnesota and San Antonio) and March 12-13 (New York and Denver) and four stretches of four games in five nights (Jan. 5-9, Jan. 29-Feb. 2, Feb. 23-27, April 6-10).
Memphis hosts the Clippers, Minnesota, San Antonio and Phoenix in the midst of a four-game homestand (Jan. 12-18), the club’s longest of the season.
All evening games will tip-off at 7 p.m. with the exception of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Game on Jan. 18, which will be begin at 4:30 p.m. The Grizzlies will be featured twice on national television, including Dec. 28 vs. Washington on NBA TV and the annual MLK Game on Jan. 18 vs. Phoenix on TNT.
A full broadcast schedule and a preseason schedule will be announced at a later date.
Grizzlies 2009-10 Season Tickets are on sale now and feature all 45 regular season and preseason home games. Grizzlies Season Tickets start at just $5 per game with 6,000 seats available at $10 or less per game. Call (901) 888-HOOP or visit Grizzlies.com. Grizzlies partial packages will go on sale August 15. Preseason individual game tickets go on sale September 26 with regular season single-game tickets available starting October 3
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
2009-10 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
(ALL TIMES CENTRAL)
DATE OPPONENT TIME (CT) DATE OPPONENT TIME (CT)
Oct.Wed. 28 Detroit 7:00 Jan.Fri. 22 Oklahoma City 7:00
Fri. 30 Toronto 7:00 Mon. 25 Orlando 7:00
Nov.Sun. 1 AT Denver 7:00 Wed. 27 AT Detroit 6:30
Mon. 2 AT Sacramento 9:00 Fri. 29 AT San Antonio 7:30
Wed. 4 AT Golden State 9:30 Sat. 30 New Orleans 7:00
Fri. 6 AT L.A. Lakers 9:30 Feb.Mon. 1 L.A. Lakers 7:00
Sat. 7 AT L.A. Clippers 9:30 Tue. 2 AT Cleveland 6:00
Tue. 10 Portland 7:00 Fri. 5 Houston 7:00
Wed. 11 AT Houston 7:30 Sat. 6 AT Minnesota 7:00
Sat. 14 Minnesota 7:00 Tue. 9 Atlanta 7:00
Wed. 18 L.A. Clippers 7:00 Tue. 16 Phoenix 7:00
Fri. 20 AT Philadelphia 6:00 Wed. 17 AT Toronto 6:00
Sat. 21 Milwaukee 7:00 Fri. 19 Miami 7:00
Mon. 23 Sacramento 7:00 Sun. 21 AT New Jersey 5:00
Wed. 25 AT Phoenix 8:00 Tue. 23 L.A. Lakers 7:00
Fri. 27 AT Portland 9:00 Wed. 24 AT Washington 6:00
Sun. 29 AT L.A. Clippers 2:30 Fri. 26 Charlotte 7:00
Mon. 30 AT Utah 8:00 Sat. 27 AT New York 6:30
Dec.Wed. 2 AT Minnesota 7:00 Mar.Mon. 1 Portland 7:00
Fri. 4 Dallas 7:00 Wed. 3 AT New Orleans 7:00
Tue. 8 Cleveland 7:00 Thu. 4 AT Chicago 7:00
Fri. 11 Oklahoma City 7:00 Sat. 6 San Antonio 7:00
Sun. 13 AT Miami 5:00 Mon. 8 New Jersey 7:00
Mon. 14 Boston 7:00 Wed. 10 AT Boston 6:30
Wed. 16 AT Atlanta 6:00 Fri. 12 New York 7:00
Fri. 18 Indiana 7:00 Sat. 13 Denver 7:00
Sun. 20 Denver 3:00 Tue. 16 Chicago 7:00
Tue. 22 Golden State 7:00 Wed. 17 AT Houston 7:30
Sat. 26 AT Dallas 2:00 Sat. 20 Golden State 7:00
Mon. 28 Washington 7:00 Mon. 22 AT Sacramento 9:00
Wed. 30 AT Indiana 6:00 Wed. 24 AT Golden State 9:30
Jan.Sat. 2 AT Phoenix 8:00 Sun. 28 AT Milwaukee 2:00
Tue. 5 AT Portland 9:00 Wed. 31 Dallas 7:00
Wed. 6 AT Utah 8:00 Apr.Fri. 2 New Orleans 7:00
Fri. 8 Utah 7:00 Sun. 4 AT Orlando 5:00
Sat. 9 AT Charlotte 6:00 Tue. 6 Houston 7:00
Tue. 12 L.A. Clippers 7:00 Wed. 7 AT Dallas 7:30
Fri. 15 Minnesota 7:00 Fri. 9 AT San Antonio 7:30
Sat. 16 San Antonio 7:00 Sat. 10 Philadelphia 7:00
Mon. 18 Phoenix 4:30 Mon. 12 AT Denver 8:00
Wed. 20 AT New Orleans 7:00 Wed. 14 AT Oklahoma City 7:00
** Daylight savings ends on November 1, 2009 and begins on March 14, 2010
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