How many games are in the 2021-22 NBA season?

The 2021-22 NBA season will get underway on Tuesday night with two games. The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks will host the Brooklyn Nets while the Golden State Warriors will take on the Los Angeles Lakers. Last season, the Bucks won the title after a 72-game regular season, defeating the Phoenix Suns. The NBA shortened last season due to the Covid-19 pandemic had cut short the previous season, forcing the NBA to reconvene in the bubble in Orlando. That seem forever ago. Let’s go over how many games are going to be played in the regular season this year.

NBA regular season game total: 82

The NBA had always had 82 regular-season games up until two seasons ago when the pandemic stopped the regular season short in March. The league started the season back up in the bubble in Orlando, playing 8 games before holding the first play-in tournament before the playoffs. The Lakers would go on to win the championship in the bubble in six games over the Miami Heat.

Last season, with the quick turnaround, the League shortened things up to 72 games instead of 82, to get the regular-season calendar back in order. The 2021 NBA Finals ended on July 20 before the NBA Draft took place on July 29th. Free agency began shortly after and the offseason went back to a somewhat normal schedule.

The season begins on Oct. 19 and the All-Star Game is Feb, 18-20, 2022. The end of the regular season is April 10 and the playoffs will begin after the play-in tournament on April 16. The last day of the NBA Finals is on June 19 and the 2022 NBA Draft will take place on June 23.