Grizzlies to open season on Oct. 29

The NBA released the 2008-09 schedule today and the Memphis Grizzlies will open on the road Oct. 29 against the Houston Rockets. The team's home opener will be Oct. 31 against the Orlando Magic.

This year's schedule will include 10 weekend home games, including a 3 p.m. start against Miami on Dec. 14. The Grizzlies will close the season at home against the Atlanta Hawks on April 15.

The Grizzlies will get one nationally televised game this year against the Detroit Pistons as part of a triple-header on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on TNT. That game will begin at 4:30 p.m.

Other schedule highlights include the first local appearance of former Grizzlies' player Pau Gasol on Dec. 22 when the Grizzlies and the Los Angeles Lakers meet. The two teams play again on March 31. The Grizzlies will play the NBA champion Boston Celtics at home on March 21. The team will be home for nine games in December, the most home-heavy month of the season.

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