The National Basketball Association announced the 2007-08 NBA regular season schedule on Thursday, and the Charlotte Bobcats will open the season on Friday, November 2 at Charlotte Bobcats Arena against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bobcats schedule also includes 18 weekend home dates, including three Sunday games.

Eight of the Bobcats first 11 games will be at home, highlighted by all-star matchups with Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns on November 6, Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets on November 11, Shaquille O’Neal and the Miami Heat on November 13. Charlotte will also get its first look at the top two picks in the 2007 NBA Draft, when Greg Oden and Kevin Durant visit the Queen City. The Bobcats host Durant and the Seattle SuperSonics on November 17 followed by Oden and the Portland Trail Blazers on November 19. Charlotte also gets an early look at the revamped Boston Celtics when Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce come to town on November 24.

Other highlights of the schedule include a New Year’s Eve afternoon contest against the Indiana Pacers at 2 p.m., and a celebration of Martin Luther King’s birthday at 1 p.m. on January 21 against the defending NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs.

Charlotte will face the longest second-half road stretch in franchise history as 26 of the Bobcats final 41 games will be played away from Charlotte Bobcats Arena, including a five-game West Coast trip beginning at the L.A. Clippers on January 28 and ending on February 4 at Phoenix. A six-game East/Mid-West swing follows that set beginning on March 8 at Washington and ending at Indiana on March 19. This particular stretch also includes matchups with Dallas (March 12), Houston (March 14) and the defending Eastern Conference Champion Cleveland Cavaliers and NBA standout LeBron James. Charlotte will head West for a final time on a four-game set beginning in Utah on March 25 and ending at Portland on March 29.

All Bobcats home games will begin at 7 p.m., with the exception of the two afternoon games and three 6 p.m. Sunday contests against Houston (Nov. 11), Milwaukee (Jan. 6) and the Toronto Raptors (March 2).