Thursday, August 7, 2008

After an offseason spent retaining Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison, the Washington Wizards will open the 2008-09 season at Verizon Center on Oct. 29 against the New Jersey Nets and visit their nemesis, the Cleveland Cavaliers, on Christmas night.

The Wizards released the 2008-09 schedule yesterday, revealing an 82-game slate that includes 11 games on national television. Among the nationally televised games is the Dec. 25 meeting against LeBron James and the Cavaliers, who have eliminated the Wizards from the postseason the past three seasons.

The Wizards first appear on national television on Nov. 12 against the Utah Jazz.

Washington fans will see the defending champion Boston Celtics at Verizon Center only on Dec. 11. The Wizards visit Boston for the first game of 2009 (Jan. 2) and the final game of the regular season (April 15).

The Los Angeles Lakers, who lost to the Celtics in the NBA Finals, come to Washington on Dec. 5.

-- Zach Berman