MILWAUKEE, Wis. — When the NBA schedule gets released with much anticipation every August, the first thing players do is look for long road trips, critical rivalry games and matchups with former college teammates and best friends.

They are also very quick to look at back-to-back games, because that’s the ultimate grind for NBA players navigating an 82-game schedule in five-plus months. There are some tired legs on nights with concsecutive games, especially when there is traveling involved.

For the Milwaukee Bucks, that’s a big deal this season. They have 16 games on back-to-back nights, tied for the most in the league along with other 2024 playoff teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma City Thunder and Phoenix Suns.

That’s a lot, especially for a team like the Bucks with a lot of older players.

It’s daunting, but it’s also going to be manageable.

The Bucks, who will open training camp on Oct. 1, won 49 games last year and claimed their sixth straight Central Division title. They earned a No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, but were plagued with injuries down the stretch, most notably a left calf strain to superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo just prior to the start of the postseason. They also dealt with injuries during their first-round matchup against the Indiana Pacers, and fellow star Damian Lillard also missed time. The Pacers won the series, and advanced all the way to the conference finals before losing to Boston.

Milwaukee players and coaches — and #FearTheDeer fans too — still believe that championship window is open, if they can stay healthy. The back-to-backs start early, in Week 1.

After opening at Philadelphia on Oct. 23 and playing the home opener on Oct. 25 against the Chicago Bulls, the Bucks get their first back-to-back on Oct. 27-28. It’s a tough one, too, but with both games on the road at Brooklyn. Tired legs for the first meeting with the world champion Celtics? Yep, it’s a real possibility.

Several big games are on the back end of consecutive games, too. Aside from the Celtics, they have road games against title chasers New York, Orlando, Miami, Dallas, Indiana and Oklahoma City twice.

Last year, the Bucks did well in these tough situation. They went 10-4 in the second game of the back-to-back.

Six of the 16 back-to-backs include two home games. Four include a home game on the back end. Only two come back-to-back on the road.

Here’s the full list of back-to-back matchups this season: