New York Knicks: 2015-16 Schedule Highlights

By Kaveh Jam | Aug 13, 2015

Dec 27, 2014; Sacramento, CA, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) looks on from the court against the Sacramento Kings in the fourth quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Kings won 135-129 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /

The New York Knicks will open the 2015-16 season on the road against Greg Monroe and the Milwaukee Bucks on Oct. 28. The home opener is slated the very next night—a Thursday evening matchup with former Knick Tim Hardaway Jr. and the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden.

Some other notable games include an early season visit to Cleveland to face LeBron James and the Cavaliers on Nov. 4, a game nationally televised on ESPN. Cleveland, which by all accounts will be the early favorites to win the Eastern Conference, will visit the Garden on Nov. 13 and again on March 26.

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The first of four meetings between the Lopez brothers and crosstown rival Brooklyn Nets will occur on Dec. 4 at the Garden. Geographic proximity is arguably the only element of rivalry between the teams, especially on the heels of disappointing seasons from both sides. But now that Robin Lopez has moved next door to brother Brook, it could add an element of intrigue.

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New Yorkers won’t have to wait long to see the premier rookies from this year’s draft class. The Los Angeles Lakers and No. 2 overall pick D’Angelo Russell will make their only visit to the Garden in just the seventh game of the young season—a Sunday afternoon game on Nov. 8. That game may have amplified significance should it prove to be Kobe Bryant’s final game at the Garden.

Jahlil Okafor and the Philadelphia 76ers make two visits to New York—Dec. 2 and again on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 18. The Minnesota Timberwolves and the first overall selection, Karl-Anthony Towns, will make their only Garden appearance on Dec. 16.

Most notably the Knicks will be absent from the league’s plate of Christmas Day games for the first time in six years. Not only that, but the league dropped their national television appearances (ABC, ESPN, and TNT) to just seven—down from 16 last season and 25 two years ago. The downward trend finally signals the league’s response to the lack of interest in the floundering Knicks.

A bevy of Knick games were scrapped in the second half of last season. The Super Bowl Sunday clash with the Lakers was dumped in favor of bowling. That fact lends credence to the team’s lack of relevance, despite its setting among the nation’s largest media and cultural metropolis.

Here is the Knicks full regular season schedule.

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