Lakers 2013-14 schedule features challenging start

On Tuesday, the Lakers 2013-14 schedule was released and the team will be challenged very quickly, starting with a home game against the Clippers on Oct. 29.

The Lakers will play the next night in Golden State in their first of 19 back-to-back sets. With a single day off, the Lakers host the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 1.

The status of Kobe Bryant, who is working his way back from an Achilles injury, is still unclear for the start of the season.

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The Lakers will visit Dwight Howard and the Houston Rockets on Nov. 7, although Bryant may not be back in time to play the former Lakers center. Bryant’s recovery timeline will be reevaluated at the end of August.

Bryant should certainly be back for games against the Rockets on Jan. 8 (in Houston) and Feb. 19 (at Staples Center).

On Christmas Day, the Lakers will host the Miami Heat.

The Lakers will also appear nationally on ABC with visits to the New York Knicks on Jan. 26, the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 29 and the Clippers on April 6. The Oklahoma City Thunder will visit on March 9, also to be aired on ABC.

The team will head out on their annual “Grammy” road trip from Jan. 15 to 26 with visits to Phoenix, Boston, Toronto, Chicago, Miami, Orlando and New York.

The Lakers also have a difficult stretch in December with six of seven on the road starting in Oklahoma City on the 13th and ending in Phoenix on the 23rd.

The regular season will end April 16 in San Antonio.

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Email Eric Pincus at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.