Miami Heat’s 2021-22 schedule is out: Full list of games and things to know
After releasing last season’s 72-game schedule in two parts amid the uncertainty stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, the NBA took a step forward toward some normalcy on Friday. The league released the full 2021-22 regular-season schedule and each team is set to play 82 games.
For just the second time in the past six seasons, the Heat will open the season at home when it takes on the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks at FTX Arena on Oct. 21 at 8 p.m. in a rematch of last season’s first-round playoff series that the Bucks swept 4-0.
But then the Heat hits the road, as 13 of its 20 games following the opener come away from home. Miami will play a road-heavy schedule during the first few months of the season, with 26 of its first 42 games coming on the road.
The Heat has two four-game trips, a five-game trip and a seven-game trip during this 42-game stretch.
The seven-game trip spans two weeks and takes the Heat to the other side of the country: Dec. 29 at San Antonio Spurs, Dec. 31 at Houston Rockets, Jan. 2 at Sacramento Kings, Jan. 3 at Golden State Warriors, Jan. 5 at Portland Trail Blazers, Jan. 8 at Phoenix Suns and Jan. 12 at Atlanta Hawks. It’s tied for the longest string of consecutive road games in franchise history, matching seven-game stretches away from home last season, during the 2005-06 season and during the 1990-91 season.
The good news for the Heat is the schedule eventually balances out, with 25 of its final 40 regular-season games coming at home. In fact, 11 of Miami’s 15 games scheduled for March will be played at FTX Arena — those 11 home games tie the franchise record for home games in any month.
The Heat’s longest homestand of the season lasts seven games, beginning March 5 against the Philadelphia 76ers and continuing March 7 against the Rockets, March 9 against the Suns, March 11 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, March 12 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, March 15 against the Detroit Pistons and ending March 18 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
But even with an impressive trio of Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry, the Heat is idle on Christmas Day after hosting the New Orlenas Pelicans on Christmas last season. But Miami is scheduled to take on the Rockets in Houston on New Year’s Eve and host the Toronto Raptors on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 17.
The Heat is currently scheduled for 22 national TV appearances, which could change over the course of the season. Miami was scheduled to make 16 national TV appearances at the time the first half of last season’s schedule was released after making it to the NBA Finals the previous season, and that was just during one half of the 72-game 2020-21 schedule.
The Heat is listed for five games on ESPN (Oct. 29 vs. Hornets, Nov. 10 at Lakers, Dec. 8 vs. Bucks, Feb. 25 at Knicks and March 30 at Celtics) and five games on TNT (Nov. 2 at Mavericks, Dec. 21 vs. Pacers, Feb. 3 at Raptors, Feb. 10 at Pelicans and March 3 at Nets). Miami’s 12 NBA TV games: Oct. 23 at Pacers, Nov. 4 vs. Celtics, Nov. 6 vs. Jazz, Nov. 11 at Clippers, Nov. 13 at Jazz, Nov. 29 vs. Nuggets, Dec. 28 vs. Wizards, Jan. 3 at Warriors, Jan. 23 vs. Lakers, Jan. 31 at Celtics, March 26 vs. Nets and April 3 at Raptors.
Lowry faces his former team, the Raptors, for the first since joining the Heat on Jan. 17 at FTX Arena. Lowry, who is considered to be one of the best Raptors players in franchise history, will make his first return to Toronto to face his old team on Feb. 3.
Those Miami-Toronto matchups could also include Precious Achiuwa and Goran Dragic, who the Heat dealt to the Raptors to complete the sign-and-trade acquisition of Lowry this offseason.
Other reunion games for the Heat: A Nov. 10 matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center, which will mark the first time the Heat faces Trevor Ariza and Kendrick Nunn since they both left to sign with the Lakers in free agency this offseason. Ariza and Nunn will return to Miami when the Lakers take on the Heat at FTX Arena on Jan. 23. The Heat faces Andre Iguodala and the Golden State Warriors for the first time this season on Jan. 3 at Chase Center, with Iguodala returning to Miami for the first time since he signed with Golden State as a free agent when the Warriors play the Heat at FTX Arena on March 23.
The Heat’s games against the Lakers will also serve as a reunion for forward Markieff Morris, who signed with the Heat as a free agent this offseason after spending part of the last two seasons with the Lakers. Heat forward P.J. Tucker takes on his old team for the first time in the opener against Milwaukee.
When it comes to back-to-backs, the Heat has 14 this season.
The NBA continues to work to reduce back-to-back sets for teams with an average of 13.7 back-to-backs per team this season, which is down from an average of 15.1 per team last season. Also, the estimated average miles traveled is a record low for a season with 30 teams and 82 games per team.
But the 14 back-to-back sets is the Heat’s highest single-season total since playing on consecutive days 15 times during the 2016-17 season.
The All-Star break is scheduled from Feb. 18-23. The 2022 All-Star Game is scheduled to take place on Feb. 20 in Cleveland.
As for conflicts with the Miami Dolphins, the Heat and Dolphins play on the same day twice: Nov. 11 and Jan. 2. There’s a chance the Heat and Dolphins could also play on the same day on Dec. 19, but that Week 15 Dolphins-New York Jets game has not been definitively scheduled yet.
The Heat and the Miami Hurricanes play on the same day six times: Oct. 23, Oct. 30, Nov. 6, Nov. 13, Nov. 20 and Nov. 27.
Other observations from the Heat’s 2021-22 schedule include the four Eastern Conference teams it faces only three times — the New York Knicks, Celtics, Pacers and Cavaliers. The Heat hosts the Celtics and Pacers only once and makes just one trip to Cleveland and New York this season. The Heat faces every other Eastern Conference team four times, for two home games and two road games.
The Heat plays every Western Conference team twice, for one home game and one road game.
Also, the NBA dropped an element it implemented in last season’s schedule that helped reduce travel and mitigate the spread of COVID-19: For teams playing twice in one market, the league often scheduled teams to play both of those road games in that respective city consecutively on one trip instead of having to make two separate trips to play those games.
But there are none of those “series” in the Heat’s 2021-22 schedule.
The Heat is expected to open training camp on Sept. 28 and play a six-game preseason schedule: Oct. 4 vs. Hawks, Oct. 7 at Rockets, Oct. 8 at Spurs, Oct. 11 vs. Hornets, Oct. 14 at Hawks and Oct. 15 vs. Celtics.
It remains unclear which health and safety protocols the Heat will have in place at FTX Arena for home games this season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But after beginning last season with no fans in attendance at its home arena, the Heat is on track to start the upcoming season in front of a full capacity of 19,600 at FTX Arena.
The Heat announced Friday that it’s requiring all employees to receive at least the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Sept. 1. Exceptions will be made for those with a “qualifying medical condition” or “a sincerely held religious belief.”
“The stability and success of the live events industry hinges on prioritizing safety—of our players, our employees, our partners, our fans, our vendors and the media,” the Heat said in a statement. “One of the ways we can substantially minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission is to ensure our entire staff is vaccinated.
“Employees who are not fully vaccinated, or have not submitted a formal request for an accommodation that has been granted or is still in the evaluation process by the next phase of our return to work will be deemed to have resigned.”
This policy does not apply to Heat players, who will be governed by the CBA and the guidelines agreed upon by the NBA and National Basketball Players Association prior to the season.
Some NBA teams, like the Brooklyn Nets, are requiring fans to be fully vaccinated to attend games. The Heat has not decided on such a policy yet for games at FTX Arena.
As part of a press release announcing the Heat’s schedule, the team said: “A limited number of Miami Heat Half Season Ticket Plans are available for sale for the upcoming 2021-22 season. Interested Heat fans are encouraged to visit https://www.nba.com/heat/tickets/partial-plans. ... Interested fans can contact the Heat by sending an email to ticketsales@heat.com or by calling 786-777-HOOP. On Saturday, the general public can purchase single-game tickets by logging on to Heat.com beginning at 2 p.m.”
Most of the Heat’s national TV games will also be aired on Bally Sports Sun, and all non-national TV games will be aired on Bally Sports Sun.
The Miami Heat Radio Network, led by its flagship station 790 The Ticket, will carry all of the team’s games in English. The Miami Heat Spanish Radio Network will broadcast each home preseason game and every regular season game in Spanish on its flagship station, Univision Radio’s Radio Mambi.
MIAMI HEAT SCHEDULE
Oct. 21: vs. Milwaukee, 8 p.m.
Oct. 23: at Indiana, 7 p.m. (NBA TV)
Oct. 25: vs. Orlando, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 27: at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 29: vs. Charlotte, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Oct. 30: at Memphis, 8 p.m.
Nov. 2: at Dallas, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)
Nov. 4: vs. Boston, 7:30 p.m. (NBA TV)
Nov. 6: vs. Utah, 7:30 p.m. (NBA TV)
Nov. 8: at Denver, 9 p.m.
Nov. 10: at L.A. Lakers, 10 p.m. (ESPN)
Nov. 11: at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m. (NBA TV)
Nov. 13: at Utah, 5 p.m. (NBA TV)
Nov. 15: at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.
Nov. 17: vs. New Orleans, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 18: vs. Washington, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 20: at Washington, 7 p.m.
Nov. 23: at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Nov. 24: at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Nov. 27: at Chicago, 8 p.m.
Nov. 29: vs. Denver, 7:30 p.m. (NBA TV)
Dec. 1: vs. Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 3: at Indiana, 7 p.m.
Dec. 4: at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.
Dec. 6: vs. Memphis, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 8: vs. Milwaukee, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Dec. 11: vs. Chicago, 8 p.m.
Dec. 13: at Cleveland, 7 p.m.
Dec. 15: at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Dec. 17: at Orlando, 7 p.m.
Dec. 19: at Detroit, 6 p.m.
Dec. 21: vs. Indiana, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)
Dec. 23: vs. Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 26: vs. Orlando, 3:30 p.m.
Dec. 28: vs. Washington, 7:30 p.m. (NBA TV)
Dec. 29: at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m.
Dec. 31: at Houston, 7 p.m.
Jan. 2: at Sacramento, 6 p.m.
Jan. 3: at Golden State, 10 p.m. (NBA TV)
Jan. 5: at Portland, 10 p.m.
Jan. 8: at Phoenix, 9 p.m.
Jan. 12: at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 14: vs. Atlanta, 8 p.m.
Jan. 15: vs. Philadelphia, 8 p.m.
Jan. 17: vs. Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 19: vs. Portland, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 21: at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 23: vs. L.A. Lakers, 6 p.m. (NBA TV)
Jan. 26: vs. New York, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 28: vs. L.A. Clippers, 8 p.m.
Jan. 29: vs. Toronto, 8 p.m.
Jan. 31: at Boston, 7:30 p.m. (NBA TV)
Feb. 3: at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)
Feb. 5: at Charlotte, 7 p.m.
Feb. 7: at Washington, 7 p.m.
Feb. 10: at New Orleans, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)
Feb. 12: vs. Brooklyn, 8 p.m.
Feb. 15: vs. Dallas, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 17: at Charlotte, 7 p.m.
Feb. 25: at New York, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Feb. 26: vs. San Antonio, 8 p.m.
Feb. 28: vs. Chicago, 7:30 p.m.
March 2: at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.
March 3: at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)
March 5: vs. Philadelphia, 8 p.m.
March 7: vs. Houston, 7:30 p.m.
March 9: vs. Phoenix, 7:30 p.m.
March 11: vs. Cleveland, 8 p.m.
March 12: vs. Minnesota, 8 p.m.
March 15: vs. Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
March 18: vs. Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.
March 21: at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
March 23: vs. Golden State, 7:30 p.m.
March 25: vs. New York, 8 p.m.
March 26: vs. Brooklyn, 8 p.m. (NBA TV)
March 28: vs. Sacramento, 7:30 p.m.
March 30: at Boston, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
April 2: at Chicago, 8 p.m.
April 3: at Toronto, 7 p.m. (NBA TV)
April 5: vs. Charlotte, 7:30 p.m.
April 8: vs. Atlanta, 8 p.m.
April 10: at Orlando, TBD
This story was originally published August 20, 2021 at 3:07 PM.
