Suns to open season with rematch against Mavs

The Phoenix Suns released their schedule for the 2022-23 season Wednesday.

Why it matters: Fans can start planning their schedules around the big games.

1 big rematch: The Suns will open their season on Oct. 19 the same way they ended the last one, at home against the Dallas Mavericks.

• Yes, but: Here's hoping the season opener goes better than the humiliating Game 7 blowout.
• Sports Illustrated lists the season opener as one of the 10 most exciting games to watch this season.

My thought bubble: I was at Game 7 and I'm still recovering. The season opener will be the first NBA game I've watched since then after basically boycotting the rest of the playoffs.

What to watch: The defending champion Golden State Warriors will come to town on Oct. 25, so we can all get a glimpse of the Western Conference finals matchup that should have been.

• If you miss that one, you can catch the Suns and Warriors on Nov. 16.
• On Oct. 28, the Suns will host the New Orleans Pelicans — the team that gave them a tough fight in the first round of the playoffs last season.

1 fun thing: The Los Angeles Lakers are always one of the biggest draws of the season, so if you want to be there in person (or if you're a local who unfortunately roots for the Lakers), mark your calendars for Nov. 22 and Dec. 19.

Other big games to watch: The Suns will host the Boston Celtics, the defending Eastern Conference champions, on Dec. 7, and they'll get their first matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, their foes from the 2021 NBA Finals, on the road on Feb. 26.

• If Kevin Durant is still with the Brooklyn Nets by Jan. 19, you can watch him against a Phoenix team that a lot of people thought he would be playing for this season.

• The NBA's Christmas Day lineup will include the Suns playing on the road against the Denver Nuggets.
• And our editor Ross' team, the Atlanta Hawks, will be in town Feb. 1.

National spotlight: The Suns will get 22 chances to show their stuff on national TV, with 11 games on ESPN, nine on TNT and two on ABC.

• In addition to those games, viewers with NBATV will get to see another 12 nationally televised Suns games.

Take a breather: The NBA has decided there won't be any Election Day games on Nov. 8, so if you haven't voted early by then, use the day to go cast your ballot.

• That's welcome news for me and Jessica, who will spend that night the way we spend every election night — working.