L.A. Lakers 2017-18 Schedule: NBA Regular Season Slate Features Lonzo Ball Vs. De’Aaron Fox, Markelle Fultz

On Monday, the Los Angeles Lakers 2017-18 NBA schedule was released and will feature key matchups with rookie Lonzo Ball against fellow draft picks. Among the games on display will be an early showdown between Ball and the Philadelphia Sixers’ No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz, as well as a battle between Ball and the No. 5 pick De’Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings. The latest schedule indicates that the L.A. Lakers will get plenty of time on television too, thanks to their possible future star who is now considered the “face of the franchise” by Magic Johnson.

Begin marking dates on those calendars, as the team’s regular season will officially begin on October 19th. According to ESPN, the Lakers’ NBA schedule features games televised on ESPN 11 times during the upcoming season. One of those games arrives on November 15th when Lonzo Ball goes head-to-head with the top pick Markelle Fultz. It also could be the first time that Ball is on the court with the Sixers’ big man Joel Embiid who got fined for his expletive tweet towards Lonzo’s father LaVar. The two have traded a few random jabs within the media, which came after Embiid tweeted his teammate Ben Simmons about dunking on Lonzo so hard when they play that he runs crying to his dad.

In another matchup, Lonzo Ball finally gets another shot at De’Aaron Fox. The two were part of two different college basketball games when the UCLA Bruins and Kentucky Wildcats met in the regular and postseason. In the latter of those matchups, Fox outshined Ball in a Wildcats’ win in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. The two were slated to meet again as rookies in the NBA Summer League Las Vegas but Ball was out of the Lakers’ lineup when Fox played for the Sacramento Kings. The two will meet in the NBA regular season on November 22nd with ESPN providing the telecast.

Another interesting NBA matchup on the Lakers’ schedule arrives on January 3, 2018. That’s when the Oklahoma City Thunder will be at the Staples Center to play. The Thunder acquired NBA All-Star Paul George during the offseason, pairing him up with this past season’s MVP Russell Westbrook. George originally made it known he wanted to play for the L.A. Lakers and will become an NBA free agent after this season. Russell Westbrook may also opt to leave OKC as he could become a free agent if he decides not to sign a long term deal with the Thunder.

Lakers’ 2017-18 ESPN Schedule

• WED 10/25 vs. Wizards (10:30 p.m. ET)
• WED 11/08 at Celtics (8 p.m. ET)
• WED 11/15 vs. Sixers (10:30 p.m. ET)
• WED 11/22 at Kings (10:30 p.m. ET)
• TUE 12/12 at Knicks (7 p.m. ET)
• FRI 12/22 at Warriors (10:30 p.m. ET)
• WED 01/03 vs. Thunder (10:30 p.m. ET)
• WED 01/17 at Thunder (8 p.m. ET)
• FRI 02/23 vs. Mavericks (10:30 p.m. ET)
• SUN 03/11 vs. Cavaliers (9 p.m. ET)
• WED 03/14 vs. Warriors (10:30 p.m. ET)

The “Lonzo Ball effect” has clearly impacted the team’s appearance on television this season. The Lakers open their 2017-18 NBA season with the Clippers at Staples Center with a Thursday, October 19th game televised on TNT at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Less than a week later, they host the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, October 25th with ESPN carrying the telecast.

The team is also featured on NBATV on Halloween night for a home game against the Detroit Pistons and a few days later on TNT as they visit the Portland Trail Blazers. ABC will televise at least one Lakers game with Los Angeles playing at Oklahoma City on Sunday, February 4, 2018. It’s possible other games could get added depending on how well the team is playing during the season.

One of the most interesting things that many fans and analysts will be watching this season is to see how big of an impact Lonzo Ball will have on the L.A. Lakers in his first season. As of this report, the Odds Shark website had released “Yes” vs. “No” odds for whether the Lakers would make the playoffs. “No” was the favorite with a price of -1500 while Yes was priced at +800. The team has even steeper odds in terms of actually winning it all as the website has them with +10000 price to win the NBA Championship this coming season.

[Featured Image by Elsa/Getty Images]