The Maine Red Claws will open their seventh season in the NBA Development League in Westchester, New York, on Nov. 12, with the home opener at a renovated Portland Expo scheduled for Nov. 20.
Installation of new seating that will include bleachers with chair backs and stadium chairs with arms is nearly complete.
Scott Morrison, who was named D-League Coach of the Year after leading Maine to the regular-season title, will return for a second season. The roster is yet to be determined.
The league expanded by one to 19 teams with the addition of Raptors 905, a new affiliate of the NBA Toronto Raptors who will play in Mississauga, Ontario. The Red Claws will travel to Canton (Ohio) and Mississauga before opening at the Expo on the third Friday of November against the Raptors, who will remain in town for a Sunday matinee Nov. 22.
The Red Claws have five home games in December (including a New Year’s Eve matinee against Texas), six in January, four in February and seven in March.
Each franchise plays 50 games between November and April. For the first time, each D-League team is singly affiliated with a parent NBA club, after the Indiana Pacers bought the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Santa Cruz is the defending league champion, as is its NBA affiliate Golden State.
Maine’s home dates: Nov. 20, 22; Dec. 5, 6, 18, 19, 31; Jan. 2, 3, 15, 16, 22, 23; Feb. 6, 25, 27, 28; March 3, 10, 11, 13, 18, 20, 31.
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