The NBA is set to release the 2022-’23 schedule for the Miami Heat and the rest of the league on Wednesday at 3:00 PM ET, but some of the games have been leaked before the release time.
Let’s take a look at some of the interesting matchups that we already know about for Jimmy Butler and the boys next season.
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Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs face off in Mexico City
The NBA announced on Wednesday morning the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs would play in Mexico City on December 17, 2022, in place of the Spurs’ home game. The game will be the 17th event in Mexico City and the first one since the 2019 season. It will also be the 31st game in Mexico overall, only trailing the United States of America and Canada.
It will be the 30th anniversary of the first NBA game played in Mexico when the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets played a preseason game at Palacio de Los Deportes in October 1992.
The Heat’s last game in Mexico City came during the 2017 season when they defeated the Brooklyn Nets in a 101-89 battle. It is the first time the Heat have played outside of the United States since that point. The game will be broadcasted nationally on NBA TV. It is currently the most notable event on the Heat’s leaked schedule to this date in time.
Miami Heat set for Martin Luther King Jr. Day matchup
The Miami Heat are scheduled to play the Atlanta Hawks on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 16, 2023, and the game will be broadcasted on TNT alongside the Phoenix Suns vs Memphis Grizzlies.
During the 2020-’21 season, the Heat played again the Detroit Pistons on Martin Luther King Jr. Day which resulted in a 113-107 victory for Miami. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is one of the most important days of the year in the NBA and one the Heat have been rumored to play on for several weeks now.
The Hawks usually get the honor to host a game in Atlanta due to Martin Luther King Jr. being born in Georgia, so it’s a privilege for the Heat to have the opportunity this season to travel to his home state.
Miami Heat snubbed on Christmas Day schedule
The Miami Heat will not play on Christmas for another consecutive season. It’s surprising due to the final eight teams remaining in last year’s playoffs all having a Christmas game except Miami. It is also the second straight season the Heat have been snubbed from Christmas Day games. The New York Knicks are essentially taking the Miami Heat’s spot on X-Mas when they face the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Heat is the only team that finished in the top-4 seeds of the Eastern Conference last season to not play on the NBA’s most lucrative day. It’s a huge slap in the face to last year’s No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Outside of Christmas Day, the Heat are scheduled for a rematch with the Boston Celtics in an early-season battle on October 21 in Miami, Florida. It will be the first matchup for the Eastern Conference finals foes from last season.
Finally, the Heat will host the Chicago Bulls at home which will be the Heat and Bulls’ first scheduled game of the regular season on October 19. It will also feature former Heat players Goran Dragic and Derrick Jones Jr.