2016-17 Schedule Breakdown: October/November

Previous Breakdown: October/November | December | January

Clippers.com has
analyzed the schedule after its release earlier this month and
also took a look at
10 of the biggest games for the coming season. Now, this
latest series takes a closer look at the schedule with a monthly breakdown,
beginning with October and November.

LOS ANGELES – The start of the 2016-17 season
will mostly be about getting Blake Griffin back adjusted after missing half
of last season and getting the four newcomers and two draft picks
acclimated to their new homes.

But there won’t be any easing in to the year.

The Clippers start the season in Portland for a rematch of last
year’s first round, then return home for a back-to-back. The first
couple weeks of the season will include two matchups against Portland and
two matchups against Oklahoma City, and the Clippers have back-to-backs on
each of the first three weekends of November, including two on the road
against formidable Western Conference opponents.

Here’s a closer look at the Clippers’ schedule in October
and November.

October/November Breakdown

Games – 19

Home – 9

Road – 10

Matchups against last year’s playoff teams
– 12

Most home games in a row – 3

Most road games in a row – 4 (becomes 6 extending
into early December)

Back-to-backs – 4

Key matchups

Oct 27 @ Portland – What better way to start the
2016-17 season where it ended for the Clippers, who should be hungry and
finally healthy as they look to take down the opponent that ended their
injury-plagued postseason.      

Nov 2 vs Oklahoma City – This matchup follows a
back-to-back to start the season against Utah and Phoenix, and it’s
the first time the Clippers are on ESPN as they see the Kevin Durant-less
Thunder for the first time. This will likely be the most highly anticipated
home game to start the season for the Clippers, with Russell Westbrook
going up against Chris Paul.

Nov 23 @ Dallas – OK, so, yes, last year’s
first matchup in Dallas had much more anticipation around it. But DeAndre
Jordan going back to Dallas still should be fun, and this will also be
Raymond Felton’s first matchup of the season against his former team.
If that wasn’t enough, this marks the start of the lone six-game road
trip of the year for the Clippers, who’ll want to start it on the
right note.

Most memorable win last year

Nov. 09 vs. Memphis – This one was close
throughout, with the Clippers eventually winning playing largely the style
of game Memphis typically prefers. Neither team outscored the other by more
than four points in any quarter, but with six points in
the final minute from J.J. Redick, the Clippers avoided an early
three-game skid and also got plenty of help from Blake Griffin, who added
24 points and 12 rebounds.

Toughest stretch

Nov. 2-12: The end of this month marks the first four
games of the lone six-game road trip on the schedule, yet it’s the
start of this month that will likely be the toughest against teams who were
in last year’s postseason. It starts with a home matchup against
Oklahoma City, followed by a travel day to get ready for a road
back-to-back in Memphis and San Antonio. The Clippers return home to play
Detroit and Portland before hitting the road for a second straight weekend
back-to-back against Oklahoma City and Minnesota.