Wizards Release 2009-10 Schedule

The Washington Wizards will open their 82-game regular season schedule at Dallas on Oct. 27 against the new-look Mavericks, then play the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 30 before opening at home on Halloween against the New Jersey Nets.

The return of Gilbert Arenas, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson from injuries, and the additions of Mike Miller, Randy Foye and Fabricio Oberto have raised expectations for a team that finished with 19 wins last season.

"We've had a very positive offseason, and we're eager to begin a new season and a new era of Wizards basketball," Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld said in a statement.

"With Flip Saunders as our head coach, the healthy returns of our core players and the addition of several solid new pieces to the lineup, we're looking forward to having our fans join us for an exciting season ahead."

The Wizards will play on national television 16 times -- eight games on NBA TV, seven on ESPN and one on TNT. Their ESPN games will be against Miami (on Nov. 4 and 27), Cleveland (Nov. 18), Golden State (Dec. 18), Boston (March 7), Orlando (April 7) and Indiana (April 14) in the regular season finale. They will play Boston (Dec. 10) on TNT.

The networks decided not to make Washington a part of the Christmas schedule. With Arenas and Haywood out, the Wizards were 4-22 when they played the Cleveland Cavaliers last Christmas.

-- Michael Lee