The Hawks won’t wait long to meet up with former teammate Lou Williams.
Atlanta will open the 2014-15 regular season on the road by heading north of the border for a matchup with Toronto. The Hawks traded the poplar local product Williams to the Raptors during the offseason.
The NBA announced the schedule Wednesday. Here are 10 things to look for this season:
1. The Hawks open and close on the road this season. In addition to season-opener at Toronto on Oct. 29, the Hawks will conclude the campaign at Chicago on April 15. The Hawks will see another familiar face against the Raptors, who signed former first-round draft pick Lucas Nogueira after he was included in the Williams deal.
2. The home opener will come against the new-look Pacers, the team that eliminated the Hawks the past two seasons in the playoffs. The Pacers, without the injured Paul George and the free-agent departure Lance Stephenson, will play at Philips Arena on Nov. 1.
3. LeBron James, back with the Cavaliers, will make two trips to Atlanta. He will be in town on Dec. 30 and March 6. The Hawks will make two trips to Cleveland on Nov. 15 and Dec. 17.
4. The Hawks will play four nationally televised games. ESPN will air games at the Celtics on Jan. 14 and at home against the Pistons on Jan. 19, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. NBA TV will televise games at the Knicks Nov. 10 and at the Pelicans Feb. 2.
5. The Hawks will play 21 sets of back-to-back games. They have two home-home, five road-road, four road-home and 10 home-road. Three times the Hawks will play four games in five days.
6. Coach Mike Budenholzer won’t have to wait long for the not-doubt emotional return to San Antonio. The Hawks will play at the Spurs on Nov. 5, the third game of the season.
7. The longest home stand will be a 13-day span from Jan. 19-31 in which the Hawks play seven games against the Piston, Pacers, Thunder, Timberwolves, Nets, Trail Blazers and 76ers.
8. The longest road trip will be a 10-day span from March 11-20 in which the Hawks play six games at the Nuggets, Suns, Lakers, Kings, Warriors and Thunder.
9. The toughest stretch of the schedule will come roughly between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Hawks will play 19 games in 33 days, one game every 1.74 days. There are seven back-to-backs in the period, accounting for 14 of the 19 games. The run includes 10 home games and nine road games.
10. Other notable home games include the Knicks (Nov. 8 and April 13), the Bulls (Dec. 15), the Clippers (Dec. 23), the Thunder (Jan. 23), the Rockets (March 3) and the Spurs (March 22). Josh Smith and the Pistons will come to Philips Arena twice on Nov. 21 and Jan. 19.
