Nets hit road for Bucks, 76ers in opening week; head to Lakers on Christmas Day

The NBA announced Tuesday its 2021-22 national television matchups for opening week and Christmas Day. It includes a trio of Nets games -- all road contests.

Brooklyn's slate begins Oct. 19, a 7:30 p.m. tip-off on TNT, against the Bucks at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. Three days later, Oct. 22, is a 7:30 p.m. start on ESPN with the 76ers at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

Last but certainly not least, the Nets have a cross-country trip Dec. 25 at Staples Center in Los Angeles for a potential NBA Finals preview. Brooklyn faces the Lakers in an 8 p.m. showdown on ABC and ESPN.

After a first-round exit in the Western Conference playoffs, the Lakers retooled their roster. They created a new Big 3 in an Aug. 6 trade with the Washington Wizards for Russell Westbrook.

The 76ers earned the Eastern Conference's top seed but suffered a seven-game series loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the conference semifinals.

On the other side of the same round, the Nets dropped a back-and-forth set with the Bucks in as many games. While Kevin Durant and Brooklyn were not at full strength -- James Harden played Games 5-7 through a Grade 2 hamstring strain and Kyrie Irving was sidelined during the same stretch with a sprained ankle -- Milwaukee ultimately advanced, subsequently beating the Hawks and Phoenix Suns en route to the 2021 NBA Finals title.