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• November is by far the most brutal month for the Hawks.
• Eighteen of the team’s first 22 games are against projected playoff teams.
• For the Hawks to make a run at a potential playoff berth, November could end up being the determining factor for the team’s chances at the playoffs.
• Teams will average 12.4 back-to-back games this season, which is down from 13.3 last season. The Hawks, nonetheless, have 14 back-to-backs this season.
• the first Trae Young vs. Luka Doncic game doesn’t come until Feb. 1 on the road in Dallas.
• They finish the season with four out of seven home games against possible playoff teams: New Orleans, Milwaukee, Detroit and Toronto.

NBA schedule: Five must-see rookie matchups

Timberwolves at Hawks

Date: Monday, Nov. 25
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: State Farm Arena -- Atlanta
TV: NBA League pass
Streaming: fuboTV (try it for free)

Last year's NCAA Tournament championship game featured an unexpected matchup, as Virginia took down Texas Tech in overtime to win its first national title. Two key players in that game were Virginia's De'Andre Hunter and Texas Tech's Jarrett Culver. Hunter and Culver went on to be drafted in the top-six of the draft. As it turns out, they won't have to wait long for their first rematch in the NBA. Culver's Timberwolves are set to travel to Atlanta to take on Hunter's Hawks just a month into the season. Plus, as an added bonus, we'll also get to see the No. 8 overall pick, Cam Reddish, who also plays for the Hawks.



Hawks at Pelicans

Date: Monday, March 16
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Smoothie King Center -- New Orleans
TV: NBA League Pass
Streaming: fuboTV (try it for free)

There are a number of Williamson games on this list, and for good reason. The No. 1 overall pick is one of the most-hyped prospects to ever enter the league, and has incredible potential. He was unstoppable at times during his freshman season at Duke, where he helped lead the Blue Devils to the Elite Eight. Reddish was also a key member of that Duke team, and together they were two of three Duke players to go in the top-eight of the draft. Williamson and Reddish won't meet in the NBA for a long time, but that might make the matchup even more interesting, as they'll each have had plenty of time to adjust to the league.

Jamaaliver wrote:From The Athletic:

• November is by far the most brutal month for the Hawks.
• Eighteen of the team’s first 22 games are against projected playoff teams.
• For the Hawks to make a run at a potential playoff berth, November could end up being the determining factor for the team’s chances at the playoffs.
• Teams will average 12.4 back-to-back games this season, which is down from 13.3 last season. The Hawks, nonetheless, have 14 back-to-backs this season.
• the first Trae Young vs. Luka Doncic game doesn’t come until Feb. 1 on the road in Dallas.
• They finish the season with four out of seven home games against possible playoff teams: New Orleans, Milwaukee, Detroit and Toronto.

Jamaaliver wrote:

NBA schedule: Five must-see rookie matchups

Timberwolves at Hawks

Date: Monday, Nov. 25
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: State Farm Arena -- Atlanta
TV: NBA League pass
Streaming: fuboTV (try it for free)

Last year's NCAA Tournament championship game featured an unexpected matchup, as Virginia took down Texas Tech in overtime to win its first national title. Two key players in that game were Virginia's De'Andre Hunter and Texas Tech's Jarrett Culver. Hunter and Culver went on to be drafted in the top-six of the draft. As it turns out, they won't have to wait long for their first rematch in the NBA. Culver's Timberwolves are set to travel to Atlanta to take on Hunter's Hawks just a month into the season. Plus, as an added bonus, we'll also get to see the No. 8 overall pick, Cam Reddish, who also plays for the Hawks.

We know the schedule, so here are the key matchups for the 2019-20 season

Luka Doncic versus Trae Young: Feb. 1, ATL at DAL

Did you think this measurement of Doncic and Young would go away after their rookie seasons? You fools! These two were traded for each other on draft night! This is never going away! The beauty of the Doncic-Young debate is that these teams only face each other twice per season. It means we get just enough of this showdown to keep things interesting, but it doesn’t get saturated by three or four games a season to where it loses its luster. Doncic has his fans on Twitter and Young has his. Liking both players and acknowledging they’re both awesome doesn’t seem to fly on social media, so don’t even attempt to add nuance.

Last year, both teams won a game in this series, each by seven points. Luka outplayed Young in the first game and loss, but Trae didn’t really have a good shooting night. Doncic and Young both had good games in the second contest, which Dallas ended up taking. This “rivalry” will be fun for years to come, and it starts up again on the first day in February.

2019-20 NBA schedule release: One key takeaway from each team's slate, including potential slow start coming for Clippers

Hawks


The Hawks are a prime candidate for this season's "surprise team to get off to a hot start." Six of their first eight games are at home, and seven of their first eight opponents either missed the playoffs last year or were a seven-seed or lower.

Jamaaliver wrote:If Trae is back tomorrow, I fully expect a 3-0 week and for him to light up Derrick White and the Spurs.

(He and D White have a bit of an unspoken rivalry brewing, Luka had back-back-back triple doubles over the weekend, all of that buzz/good press Trae and the Hawks had build has now dissipated.)

Somebody's gotta pay...

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Jamaaliver wrote:From this point on, it only gets rougher.

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