The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

The NBA released its full regular season schedule over the weekend, and several marquee games highlight the matchups for the league's Bahamian players.

Deandre Ayton and Buddy Hield will face each other four times over the course of the regular season as Pacific Division rivals in the Western Conference.

Ayton and the Phoenix Suns will host the first of the four meetings against the Sacramento Kings on December 4 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Suns will also host game two on January 8.

The venue shifts for game three when Hield and the Kings host the Suns on February 10 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California.

The final regular season meeting between the teams takes place on March 23 in Sacramento.

Other highlights on the schedule include venues closest to The Bahamas for local NBA enthusiasts waiting for an opportunity to see the players live this season.

The Suns will travel to Orlando to face the Magic at the AmWay Center on December 26 in Atlanta at Phillips Arena, to face the Hawks on February 23 and, after a quick turnaround, will face the Miami Heat at the American Airlines Arena on February 25.

The Suns will also face the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, on March 15 and April 7.

Suns single-game tickets will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, August 15, at noon.

The Kings will be in Miami on October 29 to take on the Heat at the American Airlines Arena, and will travel to Orlando in the second game of a back-to-back to take on the Magic at the Amway Center on October 30.

The Kings are in Atlanta on November 1 for a matchup with the Hawks at Phillips Arena and will travel to Houston twice this season to play the Rockets on March 30 and November 17. Kings single-game tickets will go on sale to the public in September.

Ayton will be showcased on national television to highlight the NBA's opening week schedule for local fans eager to see this year's top overall pick.

The Suns will anchor ESPN's tipoff coverage with a matchup against the Dallas Mavericks on October 17 at 10.30pm.

The game will feature Ayton against the No.3 overall pick in the draft, Mavericks guard Luka Doncic in their regular season debuts.

The Kings will be featured on national television for the first time this season with a TNT Sports broadcast from Golden 1 Center as Sacramento plays host to the LA Clippers on Thursday, November 29.

The NBA regular season tips off on October 16 and the complete game schedule and broadcast schedules for TNT, ESPN, ABC, NBA TV and ESPN Radio will be announced on Friday, August 10.

The first six days of the 2018-19 season (October 16-21) will feature 15 different teams playing 11 national television games across TNT, ESPN and NBA TV as part of Kia NBA Tip-Off 2018. TNT and ESPN will each present two doubleheaders during the season's first four days.

Ayton and Hield will have their first head-to-head game in the NBA preseason when the Suns host the Sacramento Kings on October 1 at Talking Stick Resort and Arena.