The Hawks will open the 2015-16 NBA season at home against the Pistons at 8 p.m. Oct. 27.
Get used to that start time.
Nearly all of the Hawks’ Monday through Friday home games will begin at 8 p.m. — a half hour later than in seasons’ past. CEO Steve Koonin said the scheduling change was made with fans in mind.
“(Last year) when our games started at 7:30 p.m., we would be about half full,” Koonin said. “When our games started at 8 p.m., we would be almost 80 percent full. With the construction that is happening downtown, the idea was to get past rush hour, give people a little bit more time and alleviate some of the traffic issues that come when we have a full house which is a great problem to have. … More fans will be in the stands for more of the game. We are very pleased.”
Koonin said the team did not need NBA approval for the new start time, but that they did consult with the league of their intention. He said the team did fan surveys and the change was favorably received. There were also conversations with president of basketball operations and coach Mike Budenholzer and general manager Wes Wilcox on the effect on the team.
The Hawks will have new uniforms, which have been revealed, and a new court this season as they come off a 60-win campaign that led to a berth in the Eastern Conference finals.
Here are some highlights on the schedule, which was released Wednesday:
- The Hawks will be on national television eight times. The second game of the season, against the Knicks, will be the first of two games on TNT. There will be six games on ESPN. The Hawks also have nine games on NBA TV.
- LeBron James will come to Philips Arena once, April 1, as one of the nationally televised games. The Cavaliers are one of four non-division conference opponents the Hawks will play three times. The 76ers also will make one trip to Atlanta. The Hawks will make one trip to the Nets and Bucks. The Celtics, Knicks, Bulls, Raptors and Pistons will face the Hawks four times each.
- DeMarre Carroll will meet his former Hawks team early in the season, with a game at Philips Arena on Dec. 2. Carroll, who started at small forward the past two seasons for the Hawks, signed as a free agent with the Raptors this summer.
- Tim Hardaway Jr. won't have to wait long for a rematch with his former team. The Hawks acquired the wing in a draft night trade with the Knicks. The Hawks are in New York for the Knicks' home opener Oct. 29.
- The Hawks will meet the NBA champion Warriors twice in nine days — at home on Feb. 22 and on the road March 1.
- NBA commissioner Adam Silver made it a priority to reduce the number of back-to-back games and stretches of four games in five nights. He did that. The Hawks have 18 back-to-back games. The NBA had 70 last four games in five nights last season and it's down to 27 this season. However, the Hawks do it twice, both in November. One stretch is from Nov. 3-7. The other comes with Thanksgiving Day being the off day between games.
- In other games around holidays, the Hawks are home for a stretch over Christmas with three home games from Dec. 21-26. In the week of Hanukkah, the Hawks play three games, at the Mavericks and Thunder and at home against the Spurs. They will spend New Year's Eve on the road, an off day between games at the Rockets and Knicks. The annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day game will feature the Magic on Jan. 18. The Hawks are off March 27 for Easter between road games at the Pistons and Bulls.
- The Hawks have a season-high five-game homestand, right out of the All-Star break from Feb. 19-28 against the Heat, Bucks, Warriors, Bulls and Hornets.
- The longest road trip is a five-game stint from March 1-10 to the Warriors, Lakers, Clippers, Jazz and Raptors.
- The Hawks will play four of their final six games at home, but end the season with a two-game trip at the Cavaliers and the Wizards.
- By month, the Hawks play three games in October, 17 games in November, 14 games in December, 15 games in January, 11 games in February, 16 games in March and six games in April.
- By day of the week, the Hawks play 13 Mondays, nine Tuesdays, 17 Wednesdays, eight Thursdays, 13 Fridays, 14 Saturdays and eight Sundays.
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