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Los Angeles Lakers will have almost half their schedule nationally televised

By Kenneth Teape

EL SEGUNDO, CA- JULY 18: Lonzo Ball #2, Brandon Ingram #14 and Thomas Bryant #31 of the Los Angeles Lakers attend a press conference in El Segundo, California at the Toyota Sports Center on July, 18, 2017. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
EL SEGUNDO, CA- JULY 18: Lonzo Ball #2, Brandon Ingram #14 and Thomas Bryant #31 of the Los Angeles Lakers attend a press conference in El Segundo, California at the Toyota Sports Center on July, 18, 2017. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Lakers will be on national television almost as much as any team in the NBA this season.

The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most popular franchises in all of the NBA. They are recognized across all basketball circles, and the league knows they are a money maker. Despite being one of the worst teams in the NBA in recent seasons, the Lakers still constantly found themselves in prime time games. That will continue this season.

The NBA released the 2017-18 regular season schedule this week, and not surprisingly, the Lakers will be on national television rather often.

We already knew that the Lakers would be hosting the Los Angeles Clippers in their first game and be hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves on Christmas Day. That was only the beginning, as the Lakers will be on national television for almost half of their schedule; 35 times to be exact.

NBA.com analyst, David Aldridge, broke down where the Lakers nationally televised games will be on his Twitter account. Los Angeles will play 11 times on TNT, 12 times on NBATV, 11 times on ESPN and once on ABC.

Every holiday and special occasion during the NBA season, the Lakers will be playing. In addition to their opening night game and Christmas Day, the Lakers will also be a part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day national television schedule.

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The NBA likes to showcase their marquee teams during those special days, the Lakers have made the cut. They are so popular, that they are near the top of the NBA in terms of nationally televised games this season.

The Lakers, who have 35 total nationally televised games, trail only the defending champion Golden State Warriors (43 games), Houston Rockets (40 games), Cleveland Cavaliers (39 games), and Oklahoma City Thunder (37 games). The biggest difference

The biggest difference between those teams and the Lakers is the recent success. The Warriors and Cavaliers have faced off in the NBA Finals three consecutive seasons and have a ton of star power, led by Stephen Curry and LeBron James. The Thunder have the reigning NBA MVP in Russell Westbrook. The Rockets added Chris Paul to last season’s MVP runner up, James Harden.

The Lakers aren’t going to be contending for a title like those four teams are, but there is no denying the draw that they are. Rookie Lonzo Ball is as popular a rookie as we have seen in recent memory. Brandon Ingram is someone the Lakers are hoping grows into a star as well.

Next: 30 Greatest Scorers In Lakers History

The aura is certainly returning to the Lakers. They may have missed the postseason for four straight years, but they are certainly heading in the right direction.

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