Pelicans National TV Schedule Indicative Of Team On The Rise

The NBA released the 2015-16 schedule on Wednesday night, listing all national TV games in the process.

Last season, the Pels appeared on national television only twice, once on ESPN and once on TNT. Although they had 8 appearances on NBA TV, the channel is not available in nearly as many U.S. households as ESPN and TNT.

Anthony Davis' star power last offseason wasn't enough to earn the Pelicans more time on the big stage, but this year is different, with 13 scheduled appearances on national television for the 2015-16 regular season, ninth most among NBA teams.

Highlighted with a road showdown against the defending champion Golden State Warriors on the opening night of the season on TNT, the Pelicans scheduled exposure across all U.S. markets is indicative of a team on the rise.

With Davis' star power rising, a new head coach in Alvin Gentry, a playoff appearance last April, and an exciting brand of basketball, the New Orleans Pelicans are scheduled for 13 nationally televised games this season (ESPN, ABC, TNT), plus another 8 on NBA TV.

“As the schedule is released today, we continue to grow more excited about the upcoming Pelicans season,” said Owner Tom Benson in a statement released by the team. “We’re excited to have Head Coach Alvin Gentry leading our team and have had a great off-season as we signed Anthony [Davis] to a contract extension and kept our core group of young, talented players together. As we continue to build our fan base in the Gulf South, we hope this increases the excitement level as we have a lot to look forward to this upcoming season. After experiencing the playoffs last year at the Smoothie King Center, I think our entire organization and our fans are ready for the season to begin and create that electric home court advantage at Pelicans games this season.”

The home opener for the Pelicans is scheduled for Halloween night, also against the Warriors.

The Pelicans won't be home for the holidays again, as they'll take on the Miami Heat at 11 am on Christmas Day on ESPN, and the Memphis Grizzlies at 1:30pm on MLK day (also on ESPN).

The 13 nationally televised games on ESPN/ABC/TNT is tied for the most in franchise history (2008-09).