Staples Tenants Have Six Doubleheaders

With three major professional teams playing concurrent seasons in the Staples Center starting in October, the new building will stage six doubleheaders involving the Lakers, Kings and Clippers next season.

The NBA schedule, released Thursday, shows that only one will involve the Lakers. They’ll play the Seattle SuperSonics on Jan. 17, Martin Luther King Day, at 12:30 p.m., with the Clippers playing the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs at 7:30.

The Clippers and Kings will share the Staples Center on five dates--Nov. 27, Dec. 4, Dec. 26, Jan. 23 and March 4--with the Clippers playing the earlier game three times.

New Coach Phil Jackson and the Lakers open the season Nov. 2 against the Utah Jazz at Salt Lake City in a game that will be nationally televised by TNT.

The Clippers open at home the same night against the SuperSonics, with the Lakers making their Staples Center debut Nov. 3 against the Vancouver Grizzlies.

The Lakers face Jackson’s former team, the Chicago Bulls, on Nov. 19 at the Staples Center and begin a mini-reunion tour of sorts when they open a six-game trip Feb. 15 at Chicago. They then take on the Charlotte Hornets--and former Lakers Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell--on Feb. 16 before facing Shaquille O’Neal’s former team, the Orlando Magic, on Feb. 18.

The Spurs, who swept the Lakers in the second round of the playoffs last season, make the first of four Staples Center appearances Nov. 10 against the Clippers and return Christmas night against the Lakers.

The Dec. 25 game is the nightcap of an NBC doubleheader that will kick off the network’s NBA coverage. NBC will televise 33 weekend games and carry 44 games regionally. TNT will televise 53 games on Tuesday and Friday nights, and .TBS will carry 27 games on Wednesday nights.

LAKERS SCHEDULE (Times Pacific)

NOVEMBER: 2--at Utah, 7:30 p.m. 3--Vancouver, 7:30 p.m. 6--at Portland, 7 p.m. 7--Dallas, 6:30 p.m. 9--at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. 10--at Houston, 5 p.m. 12--Houston, 7:30 p.m. 14--Atlanta, 6:30 p.m. 15--at Phoenix, 6 p.m. 18--at Denver, 6 p.m. 19--Chicago, 7:30 p.m. 21--Toronto, 6:30 p.m. 24--Utah, 7:30 p.m. 26--New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. 30--at Seattle, 10 p.m.

DEC.: 1--Golden State, 7:30 p.m. 3--Portland, 7:30 p.m. 5--Orlando, 6:30 p.m. 7--Washington, 7:30 p.m. 8--at Sacramento, 5 p.m. 11--at Vancouver, noon. 12--Detroit, 6:30 p.m. 14--Clippers, 7:30 p.m. 16--at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m. 17--at Minnesota, 5 p.m. 19--at Toronto, noon. 20--at Boston, 4 p.m. 25--San Antonio, 6:30 p.m. 27--Dallas, 7:30 p.m. 29--Phoenix, 7:30 p.m.

JANUARY: 4--at Clippers, 7:30 p.m. 5--Clippers, 7:30 p.m. 7--Charlotte, 7:30 p.m. 8--at Seattle, 7 p.m. 10--Denver, 7:30 p.m. 12--at Milwaukee, 5 p.m. 14--at Indiana, 5 p.m. 15--at Minnesota, 5 p.m. 17--Seattle, 12:30 p.m. 19--Cleveland, 7:30 p.m. 22--Portland, 5:30 p.m. 24--at Utah, 5 p.m. 28--Milwaukee, 7:30 p.m. 30--at Houston, 11:30 a.m.

FEBRUARY: 1--at San Antonio, 5 p.m. 4--Utah, 7:30 p.m. 7--Denver, 7:30 p.m. 9--Minnesota, 7:30 p.m. 15--at Chicago, 5 p.m. 16--at Charlotte, 4:30 p.m. 18--at Orlando, 4:30 p.m. 20--at Philadelphia, 2:30 p.m. 22--at New Jersey, 4:30 p.m. 23--at Cleveland, 4:30 p.m. 25--Boston, 7:30 p.m. 27--Houston, 2:30 p.m. 29--at Portland, 7 p.m.

MARCH: 1--Vancouver, 7:30 p.m. 3--Indiana, 7:30 p.m. 5--Miami, 3 p.m. 6--at Clippers, 7:30 p.m. 9--at Golden State, 7:30 p.m. 12--Sacramento, 6:30 p.m. 13--at Denver, 6 p.m. 16--at Washington, 4 p.m. 17--at Detroit, 5 p.m. 19--at New York, 9 a.m. 20--at Miami, 5 p.m. 22--Golden State, 7:30 p.m. 24--Phoenix, 7:30 p.m. 26--at Sacramento, 3:30 p.m. 29--at Vancouver, 7 p.m. 31--Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.

APRIL: 2--New York, 3:30 p.m. 4--at Phoenix, 5 p.m. 5--at Golden State, 7:30 p.m. 8--San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. 10--Seattle, 7:30 p.m. 14--Sacramento, 7:30 p.m. 16--Minnesota, 2:30 p.m. 18--at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. 19--at San Antonio, 5 p.m.

CLIPPERS SCHEDULE (Times Pacific)

NOVEMBER: 2--Seattle, 7:30 p.m. 3--at Portland, 7 p.m. 5--Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. 8--Utah, 7:30 p.m. 10--San Antonio, 7:30 p.m. 14--at Vancouver, 6 p.m. 16--at Milwaukee, 5 p.m. 17--at Minnesota, 5 p.m. 19--at Toronto, 4 p.m. 20--at Washington, 4 p.m. 23--New York, 7:30 p.m. 26--at Seattle, 7 p.m. 27--Portland, 8 p.m. 30--Phoenix, 7:30 p.m.

DECEMBER: 2--Houston, 7:30 p.m. 4--Seattle, 1 p.m. 6--Miami, 7:30 p.m. 8--at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m. 10--at Detroit, 5 p.m. 11--at Indiana, 4 p.m. 13--Vancouver, 7:30 p.m. 14--at Lakers, 7:30 p.m. 17--Golden State, 7:30 p.m. 19--at Vancouver, 6 p.m. 22--at Golden State, 7:30 p.m. 23--Sacramento, 7:30 p.m. 26--Boston, 1 p.m. 28--at Denver, 6 p.m. 30--at Houston, 5:30 p.m.

JANUARY: 4--Lakers, 7:30 p.m. 5--at Lakers, 7:30 p.m. 8--Indiana, 7:30 p.m. 10--at Cleveland, 4:30 p.m. 12--at Boston, 4 p.m. 13--at New Jersey, 4:30 p.m. 15--at Utah, 6 p.m. 17--San Antonio, 7:30 p.m. 18--at Sacramento, 7:30 p.m. 21--Minnesota, 7:30 p.m. 23--Orlando, 7:30 p.m. 25--at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. 27--at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. 29--New Jersey, 7:30 p.m.

FEBRUARY: 1--Golden State, 7:30 p.m. 2--at Phoenix, 6 p.m. 5--Dallas, 7:30 p.m. 6--Chicago, 6 p.m. 9--at Portland, 7 p.m. 10--Vancouver, 7:30 p.m. 15--at Miami, 4:30 p.m. 16--at Orlando, 4:30 p.m. 18--at Charlotte, 4:30 p.m. 19--at Chicago, 5:30 p.m. 21--at New York, 10 a.m. 23--at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. 24--at Minnesota, 5 p.m. 26--Atlanta, 7:30 p.m. 28--Houston, 7:30 p.m.

MARCH: 4--Cleveland, 12:30 p.m. 6--Lakers, 7:30 p.m. 8--Toronto, 7:30 p.m. 10--Charlotte, 7:30 p.m. 12--at Golden State, 6 p.m. 14--Denver, 7:30 p.m. 15--at Sacramento, 7:30 p.m. 17--at Denver, 6 p.m. 18--Sacramento, 7:30 p.m. 20--Washington, 7:30 p.m. 22--at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. 23--at Houston, 5:30 p.m. 25--Detroit, 7:30 p.m. 28--Dallas, 7:30 p.m. 30--Milwaukee, 7:30 p.m.

APRIL: 4--Utah, 7:30 p.m. 6--Minnesota, 7:30 p.m. 8--at Dallas, 5 p.m. 11--Phoenix, 7:30 p.m. 12--at Utah, 6 p.m. 14--at Phoenix, 7 p.m. 15--Denver, 8 p.m. 18--Portland, 7:30 p.m. 19--at Seattle, 7 p.m.