The schedule for the NBA’s restart is set. Here are the must-watch games as teams push for the postseason.
The 2020 NBA season restart finally has its schedule.
Each team will have eight regular-season games to help finalize playoff seeding, with the first two games starting on July 30 as the Utah Jazz face off versus the New Orleans Pelicans followed by the LA Clippers versus the Los Angeles Lakers. Players and teams will have roughly two weeks to secure their playoff seeds while knocking off any rust ahead of the postseason.
Here are the 12 games we can’t wait to see when basketball returns on July 30.
MORE: Everything to know for the NBA’s 22-team restart
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Utah Jazz
July 30,6:30 p.m. ET| TNT
The Jazz have the utmost confidence that Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell can successfully co-exist as franchise cornerstones, but will there be any residual tension from Gobert’s lack of concern for the novel coronavirus that preceded the news that he and Mitchell had both tested positive? And speaking of Gobert, Zion Williamson trying to finish over and around him is a pretty exciting way to welcome back the NBA.
— Tim MacMahon
Los Angeles Lakers vs. LA Clippers
July 30,9 p.m. ET| TNT
While the atmosphere in Orlando won’t be the same as it would be at Staples Center, the intensity between these rivals figures to remain high in their final regular season matchup. Though home-court advantage is no longer part of the equation, both teams will need to address chemistry as they ramp up for a long playoff run.
Can the Lakers replaceAvery Bradley and find the same consistency they had before the stoppage? How do the Clippers look at full strength, and how will Doc Rivers balance the minutes on a deep roster?
— Nick Friedell
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Memphis Grizzlies
July 31,4 p.m. ET| NBATV
The race for the West’s eighth seed could come down to the fresh-faced Grizzlies against the playoff-seasoned Trail Blazers, who were conference finalists last season. The point guard matchup — perennial All-Star Damian Lillard vs. Rookie of the Year frontrunner Ja Morant — should be particularly fun. Lillard left the game with a strained groin when these teams met on Feb. 12, while Morant’s 20 points and nine assists led the Grizzlies to a home win.
— MacMahon
Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks
July 31,6:30 p.m. ET| ESPN
Giannis is fully recovered from a knee injury that gave him some trouble prior to the season suspension. His first chance to knock off more than three months of rust will be against the Celtics, a potential playoff foe. With a 6.5-game lead over the second-place Raptors, the Bucks can use the restart as a kind of preseason.
The Celtics don’t have that kind of luxury, sitting just three games in front of Miami as both teams try to avoid a showdown with the Bucks in the conference semifinals.
