Raptors to host Lakers, Warriors, Nets in Tampa in season’s second half
TAMPA — The Raptors released their remaining regular-season schedule on Tuesday, and it has NBA superstars like LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant coming to Tampa to play games at Amalie Arena.
The Raptors will play 19 of their 35 remaining regular-season games at Amalie. Toronto will play 10 home games in April, including five straight from April 13-21.
The highlights include home games against the Golden State Warriors on April 2, the Los Angeles Lakers on April 6, and the Brooklyn Nets on April 21 and 27.
Whether the general public will be able to watch those games in person remains to be seen.
Amalie Arena is currently permitted to host only a few hundred select family and friends for Raptors and Lightning home games but hopes to open to the general public in a limited capacity in mid-March. Final determinations have yet to be made, but if capacity does expand to the general public, the arena would open to about 3,800 fans.
The Raptors announced earlier this month that they would remain in Tampa for the remainder of the season because of ongoing Canadian travel restrictions due to the pandemic.
The Raptors’ final regular-season contest is a May 16 home game against the Indiana Pacers.
Toronto (16-16) entered Tuesday in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings, winning 14 of their last 22 games after starting the season 2-8.
The Raptors have four nationally televised games in the second half of the season, but none in Tampa.
Contact Eduardo A. Encina at eencina@tampabay.com. Follow @EddieInTheYard.
