Clippers 2016-17 schedule: 5 best games of the first month

Mar 9, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts to a call in action against the Los Angeles Clippers during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 9, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts to a call in action against the Los Angeles Clippers during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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Now that we know the schedule for the 2016-17 NBA season, here’s a look into the best Los Angeles Clippers games you need to watch in October and November.

Mar 9, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts to a call in action against the Los Angeles Clippers during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 9, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts to a call in action against the Los Angeles Clippers during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

This summer’s basketball stint at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics has taken a turn for the unexpected over the last few games. Team USA opened in typical fashion, exerting their effortless dominance over the likes of China and Venezuela to make 40-point wins look like something we could expect almost every night. Then, when Australia held a five-point lead at halftime in their preliminary game, Serbia followed by losing to USA just 94-91 and France persisted to lose only 100-97, it’s clear this Team USA isn’t exactly the newest “Dream Team”. So, let’s forget about their struggles and focus on the Los Angeles Clippers’ upcoming season.

The 2016-17 schedule is here, gifting us with another Golden State Warriors-Cleveland Cavaliers matchup on Christmas Day, accompanied by an L.A. hometown battle (albeit a one-sided one) between the Clippers and Lakers.

As always, there are too many good games to take note of. But, when focusing from the perspective of the Clippers, it’s far easier to pick out some key opponents, tough games, and entertaining matchups that you can keep an eye out for as the season slowly approaches.

Besides how such contests will challenge the Clippers, seeing how the new additions of Marreese Speights, Brandon Bass and Raymond Felton perform and fit in Doc Rivers’ rotation will be something to pay close attention to.

To break things down, looking into the first month of the season seems like a good way to start. With a few days of October first and several big games in November, let’s get started at the beginning before future articles look at the rest of the year.

Next: Season opener in Portland