The restart of the 2020 NBA season finally has its schedule.
Each team will have eight regular-season games to help finish the playoff positions, with the first two games on July 30 when the Utah Jazz faces the New Orleans Pelicans followed by the LA Clippers against the Los Angeles Lakers. Players and teams will have approximately two weeks to secure their place in the playoffs while removing any rust before the postseason.
These are the 12 games we can’t wait to see when basketball returns on July 30.
MORE: Key NBA 2020 Restart Dates
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Utah Jazz
30 de julio, 6:30 pm ET | TNT
The Jazz are fully confident that Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell can successfully coexist as franchise cornerstones, but will there be any residual tension over Gobert’s lack of concern about the coronavirus that preceded the news that he and Mitchell gave positive? And speaking of Gobert, Zion Williamson trying to reach the ring over and over again around him is a very exciting way to welcome him to the NBA.
– Tim MacMahon
Los Angeles Lakers vs. LA Clippers
30 de julio, 9 pm ET | TNT
While the vibe in Orlando, Florida will not be the same as at the Staples Center, the intensity between these rivals remains high in their final regular season showdown. Although the advantage of playing at home is no longer part of the equation, both teams will have to tackle the chemistry as they prepare for a long journey in the playoffs.
Can the Lakers replace Avery Bradley and find the same consistency they had before the layoff? What do the Clippers look like in full force and how will Doc Rivers balance the minutes of a deep roster?
– Nick Friedell
3:55
Best plays and performances of the season from Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant.
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Memphis Grizzlies
July 31, 4 pm ET | NBATV
The race for the eighth seed in the West could be narrowed down to the fresh-faced Grizzlies against the Trail Blazers, who were conference finalists last season. The base matchup between perennial All-Star Damian Lillard and rookie of the year favorite Ja Jarant must be particularly fun. Lillard left the game due to groin discomfort when these teams met on February 12, and Morant’s 20 points and nine assists led the Grizzlies to a home win.
– MacMahon
Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks
July 31, 6:30 pm ET | ESPN
Giannis Antetokounmpo is fully recovered from a knee injury that caused him some trouble before the season’s suspension. Your first chance to remove more than three months of rust will be against the Celtics, a potential playoff opponent. With a 6½ game lead over the Raptors in second place, the Bucks can use the restart as a kind of preseason.
The Celtics don’t have that luxury, just 2½ games ahead of Miami as both teams try to avoid a confrontation with the Bucks in the conference semifinals. Jayson Tatum scored 28 or more points in seven of his nine games after the All-Star break, and will look to pick up where he left off.
– Friedell
1:30
We review the most impressive plays of the Serbian with Denver Nuggets on the NBA tables.
Miami Heat vs Denver Nuggets
August 1, 1 pm ET | ESPN
Hopefully this matchup will take a look at Nuggets All-Star center Nikola Jokic, who, prior to a positive COVID-19 diagnosis earlier this week, had lost 40 pounds and transformed his body during the break. the league. For Denver, it will be interesting to see what kind of contribution he receives from young striker Michael Porter Jr. in search of another option behind Jokic and Jamal Murray.
As for the Heat, this no-frills vibe is made for Jimmy Butler to have great performances. With Butler, Bam Adebayo and Andre Iguodala’s playoff experience, the Heat have the ability and the confidence to make noise in the East.
– Friedell
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Houston Rockets
August 2, 8:30 pm ET | ABC
Passive-aggressive punches exchanged by James Harden of Houston and Giannis Antetokounmpo of Milwaukee over the past year give this matchup a juicy subplot, but watching Harden try to figure out how to attack the league’s best defense will be the main draw.
Milwaukee’s plan to defend Harden – to have his main defender stand on his left hip, take his leaped back shot and challenge him to drive to paint – has been successful. He has averaged 28 points (with 34.8% shooting) in the Rockets’ three losses to the Bucks in the past two seasons, but Harden has declined to credit Milwaukee for containing him, saying he simply missed the shots.
– MacMahon
Memphis Grizzlies vs. New Orleans Pelicans
August 3, 6:30 pm ET | ESPN
Sensational rookies and former AAU teammates Zion Williamson and Ja Morant have quickly established themselves as two of the NBA’s most entertaining talents, and this rematch will be no exception.
The fight for the final playoff spot in the West has the potential to create great drama during the close of eight regular season games and a possible play-in scenario.
– MacMahon
Houston Rockets vs. Los Ángeles Lakers
August 6, 9 pm ET | TNT
Could the Rockets pose a threat to the West’s favorite Lakers?
After acquiring Robert Covington on the trade deadline, Houston presented its small ball lineup with a win at the Staples Center the previous time these teams met. The micro lineup started strong, but fatigue began to be felt in the Rockets before the season stopped. The Clippers exploited the height mismatch by beating Houston on the boards. Will Frank Vogel take the idea from his co-tenants and keep his centers? Did the break give the Rockets enough time to recover?
– MacMahon
3:48
The ‘Greek Freak’ leads the Bucks, so far the best team in the NBA this season.
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Toronto Raptors
August 10, 6:30 pm ET | ESPN
Will this be a preview of the Eastern Conference finals for the second consecutive year? The Raptors have kept fit without Kawhi Leonard, as Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry, and a roster of seasoned players have a chance to repeat as champions in this unique environment.
The Bucks have a 6½-game lead over the Raptors in the East, but if Milwaukee wants to send a message early, they’ll have a chance to show that this year could be different. It will be interesting to see how coach Mike Budenholzer decides to jumpstart his veteran team as he begins what he hopes will be a long stay at Disney.
– Friedell
Toronto Raptors vs. Philadelphia 76ers
August 12, 6:30 pm ET | ESPN
The Sixers enter the restart looking to write the kind of outcome they hoped to achieve when the season began. His game so far has been disappointing, but Philadelphia is heading into the bubble with a presumably healthy Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, along with a core of players who should be motivated to change the direction of the season.
The Raptors enter the reboot after a much-needed break, presumably healthy and ready to prove they can make another title push without Kawhi Leonard. Not only is it a rematch of the seven-game Eastern Conference semifinals last season, it’s a matchup between two teams that feel they have a lot to prove in Orlando.
– Friedell
Houston Rockets vs. Philadelphia 76ers
August 14
The Rockets were comfortable committing to their small ball game because the list of big NBA men threatening to dominate at the low post is short. Fortunately for the 76ers, Joel Embiid is at the top of that list. Can the Rockets take advantage of forcing him out of his comfort zone as a rim protector enough to offset the punishment Embiid will inflict on the paint?
Embiid and Russell Westbrook, two of the league’s most entertaining personalities, also have a history of trash talking which means there is always potential for fireworks when they meet.
– MacMahon
3:51
We relive Kawhi’s highlights from his career so far, including the epic basket against the 76ers.
LA Clippers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
August 14
This is each team’s regular season finale, so it could have significant implications for the West playoffs. The star players who were traded against each other in a front-page deal last year, Paul George and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, will face their former teams for the last time before the postseason. On the other hand, if the Clippers are secured at No. 2, it wouldn’t be a surprise if George and Kawhi Leonard rest in preparation for the playoffs.
– MacMahon
MORE: NBA Playoff Predictions
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