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Orlando Magic will play first of eight ‘seeding games’ on July 31 vs Nets

The National Basketball Association has released its schedule for the restart of the 2019-20 regular season and announced the Orlando Magic will play the first of their eight “seeding games” on Friday, July 31 against the Brooklyn Nets at the Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Game time is 2:30 p.m.

Yesterday, the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) announced that they have finalized a comprehensive plan for a July 30 restart to the 2019-20 season, which includes stringent health and safety protocols, a single-site campus at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and the goal of taking collective action to combat systemic racism and promote social justice.

“We appreciate the leadership of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, our longtime partner, Disney, and our local leaders in this unprecedented time,” said Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins. “We look forward to providing assistance as needed in restarting the NBA season in Orlando, while using our collective platform to drive meaningful social impact.”

The NBA and Disney have reached an agreement that makes the Arena, the Field House and Visa Athletic Center at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex the venues for all games for the remainder of the season, which will resume with 22 teams returning to play and with no fans in attendance.

Under the competitive format for the restart, the 22 participating teams will be the eight teams in each conference with the highest current winning percentages and the six teams that are currently within six games of the eighth seed in either conference.

The restart will begin with each participating team playing eight “seeding games,” as selected from its remaining regular-season matchups. The NBA and its broadcast and technology partners are collaborating to enhance game telecasts and bring fans an immersive, interactive viewing experience. Local television schedule for Orlando Magic games on FOX Sports Florida is to be determined. Comprehensive Orlando Magic coverage can be found on OrlandoMagic.com, as well as all of their social media platforms.

At the conclusion of the seeding games, the seven teams in each conference with the highest combined winning percentages across regular season games and seeding games will be the first through seventh seeds for the NBA Playoffs for that conference. If the team with the eighth-best combined winning percentage (regular season games and seeding games) in a conference is more than four games ahead of the team with the ninth-best combined winning percentage in the same conference, then the team with the eighth-best winning percentage would be the eighth playoff seed in that conference.

If the team with the eighth-best combined winning percentage in a conference (Team 8) is four games or fewer ahead of the team with the ninth-best combined winning percentage in the same conference (Team 9), then those two teams would compete in a play-in tournament to determine the eighth playoff seed in the conference. The play-in tournament will be double elimination for Team 8 and single elimination for Team 9.

The NBA’s standard playoff tiebreaker procedures will be used to break any ties on the basis of winning percentage. Once the 16-team playoff field is set, the NBA Playoffs will proceed in a traditional conference-based format with four rounds and best-of-seven series in each round. The 2020 NBA Finals will end no later than October 13.

2019-20 ORLANDO MAGIC SEEDING GAME SCHEDULE (“home” games in caps)

July 31 @ Brooklyn
August 2 vs SACRAMENTO
August 4 @ Indiana
August 5 vs TORONTO
August 7 @ Philadelphia
August 9 @ Boston
August 11 vs BROOKLYN
August 13 vs NEW ORLEANS

Celtics seeding games schedule starts July 31 vs Bucks

The Boston Celtics will open its slate of eight “seeding games” against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, July 31, after the NBA and the NBPA announced today a finalized comprehensive plan for a restart to the 2019-20 NBA season inside a single-site campus at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

As part of the agreement, remaining games for all 22 teams involved in the season’s resumption will be held at a trio of Walt Disney World Resort facilities – The Arena, the HP Field House and Visa Athletic Center at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex – with no fans in attendance.

The restart will begin with each participating team playing eight “seeding games”, as selected from its remaining regular-season matchups. All eight of Boston’s games, which range from July 31 through August 13, will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Boston. Six of those eight contests are currently scheduled to air on National Television (ABC, ESPN, TNT).

At 43-21, the Celtics boast the fifth-best record throughout the NBA in 2019-20.

UPDATED CELTICS “SEEDING GAMES” SCHEDULE FOR DISNEY:

July 31: Milwaukee (A)
August 2: Portland (H)
August 4: Miami (A)
August 5: Brooklyn (H)
August 7: Toronto (A)
August 9: Orlando (H)
August 11: Memphis (A)
August 13: Washington (H)

Raptors will restart the 2019-20 NBA season August 1 vs Lakers

The Toronto Raptors will restart the 2019-20 season Saturday, August 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers, the team announced Friday. Under the competitive format for the restart, the 22 participating teams will have eight “seeding games,” as selected from its remaining regular-season matchups.

The National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Players Association announced yesterday that they have finalized a comprehensive plan for a July 30 restart to the 2019-20 season, which includes stringent health and safety protocols, a single-site campus at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and the goal of taking collective action to combat systemic racism and promote social justice.

In addition, the NBA and Disney have reached an agreement that makes the Arena, the HP Field House and Visa Athletic Center at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex the venues for all games for the remainder of the season, with no fans in attendance.

The NBA and the NBPA confirmed today an agreement on health and safety protocols that will govern the resumption of the season. The rigorous program, which addresses risks related to COVID-19 and focuses on the well-being of players, coaches, officials and staff, was developed in consultation with public health experts, infectious disease specialists and government officials.

RAPTORS RESTART SCHEDULE

Saturday, Aug. 1 vs. LA Lakers
Monday, Aug. 3 at Miami
Wednesday, Aug. 5 at Orlando
Friday, Aug. 7 vs. Boston
Sunday, Aug. 9 vs. Memphis
Monday, Aug. 10 at Milwaukee
Wednesday, Aug. 12 at Philadelphia
Friday, Aug. 14 vs. Denver

Brooklyn Nets eight-game schedule for restart of 2019-20 NBA season announced

The Brooklyn Nets have announced their eight-game schedule for the restart of the 2019-20 NBA season. The schedule will tip off versus the Orlando Magic on Friday, July 31, at 2:30 p.m. at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla.

The matchup is the first of eight “seeding games” the Nets will play to determine the participants and seeds for the 2020 NBA Playoffs.

Brooklyn currently stands in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with a 30-34 record. The Nets last suited up in a 104-102 victory in Los Angeles against the Lakers on March 10.

All games will be broadcast regionally on the YES Network and can be heard on WFAN.

UPDATED NETS SCHEDULE FOR SEEDING GAMES AT DISNEY IN ORLANDO:

Fri., July 31 vs. Orlando
Sun., Aug. 2 vs. Washington
Tues., Aug. 4 at Milwaukee
Wed., Aug. 5 at Boston
Fri., Aug. 7 vs. Sacramento
Sun., Aug. 9 at L.A. Clippers
Tues., Aug. 11 at Orlando
Thurs., Aug. 13 vs. Portland

Updated Rockets schedule resumes July 31 vs. Mavericks

The NBA has announced the schedule for the 22 teams participating in the restart of the 2019-20 season. All games will be held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex located at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

The 22 teams will be the eight teams in each conference with the highest current winning percentages and the six teams that are currently within six games of the eighth seed in either conference. Each teams will play eight “seeding games” as selected from their remaining regular season schedule.

The Rockets have already clinched a spot in the playoffs, marking their franchise-best eighth straight postseason appearance. With a current record of 40-24, Houston has also secured its 14th straight season going .500 or better and is the only team to have done so over that span.

At the conclusion of the seeding games, the seven teams in each conference with the highest combined winning percentages across regular-season games and seeding games will be the first through seventh seeds for the playoffs for that conference.

If the team with the eighth-best combined winning percentage (regular-season games and seeding games) in a conference is more than four games ahead of the team with the ninth-best combined winning percentage in the same conference, then the team with the eighth-best winning percentage would be the eighth playoff seed in that conference.

If the team with the eighth-best combined winning percentage in a conference (Team 8) is four games or fewer ahead of the team with the ninth-best combined winning percentage in the same conference (Team 9), then those two teams would compete in a play-in tournament to determine the eighth playoff seed in the conference. The play-in tournament will be double elimination for Team 8 and single elimination for Team 9.

The NBA’s standard playoff tiebreaker procedures will be used to break any ties on the basis of winning percentage. Once the 16-team playoff field is set, the NBA Playoffs will proceed in a traditional conference-based format with four rounds and best-of-seven series in each round.

Below is the Rockets schedule for the eight seeding games in Orlando:

Friday, July 31; 8 p.m. CT vs Dallas
Sunday, August 2; 7:30 CT vs Milwaukee
Tuesday, August 4; 8 p.m. CT vs Portland
Thursday, August 6; 8 p.m. CT vs LA Lakers
Sunday, August 9; 7 p.m. CT vs Sacramento
Tuesday, August 11; 1 p.m. CT vs San Antonio
Wednesday, August 12; 3 p.m. CT vs Indiana
Friday, August 14; TBD vs Philadelphia

All games will also be available on the radio broadcast home of the Rockets, SportsTalk 790 KBME and NewsRadio 740 KTRH in addition to Spanish coverage on La Ranchera KEYH 850 AM/KNTE 101.7 FM.

Miami Heat 2019-20 NBA season restart seeding schedule announced

The Miami HEAT announced its 2019-20 season restart seeding schedule today. Miami will resume games starting with their Saturday, August 1 contest against the Denver Nuggets at 1PM on ESPN at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex as their eight-game schedule runs through August 14 at the single-site campus. At the conclusion of those eight contests, the combination of teams’ regular season and seeding games winning percentages will determine the playoff order, with possible play-in games for the final spot, with the top eight teams in each conference earning a postseason berth. The HEAT previously clinched a playoff spot earlier this season.

FOX Sports Sun, the exclusive regional television partner of the HEAT, will air Miami’s seeding games available for local broadcast, with complete broadcasting information for both local television and radio coverage released at a later date.

HEAT Seeding Schedule:

Game Date Opponent Time (ET) Site National TV/FOX Sports Sun

1 8/1 Denver 1:00 PM HP Field House ESPN / TBD

2 8/3 Toronto 1:30 PM HP Field House NBA TV / TBD

3 8/4 Boston 6:30 PM HP Field House TNT / TBD

4 8/6 Milwaukee 4:00 PM Arena TNT / TBD

5 8/8 Phoenix 7:30 PM Visa Athletic Center TBD / TBD

6 8/10 Indiana 8:00 PM Visa Athletic Center TBD / TBD

7 8/12 Oklahoma City8:00 PM Visa Athletic Center TBD / TBD

8 8/14 Indiana TBD TBD TBD / TBD

Updated Nuggets game schedule starts August 1st vs. the Heat

The National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Players Association announced today that they have finalized a comprehensive plan for a July 30 restart to the 2019-20 season, which includes stringent health and safety protocols, a single-site campus at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and the goal of taking collective action to combat systemic racism and promote social justice.

The NBA also released its complete game schedule and national television schedules for TNT, ESPN, ABC and NBA TV for the “seeding games,” which will be played July 30 – Aug. 14 to tip off the resumption of the 2019-20 season. The 22 teams participating in the season restart will play eight seeding games each at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

Each team will be designated as the home team in four seeding games and the visiting team in four seeding games. The tip-off time for each team’s last seeding game, scheduled to be played on Aug. 13 or 14, will be determined at a later date in order to provide the most compelling matchups to a national audience. As part of the restart, the NBA and its broadcast and technology partners are collaborating to enhance game telecasts and bring fans an immersive, interactive viewing experience.

The 88 seeding games, which were selected from the remaining 259 regular-season matchups, will count toward the final 2019-20 regular-season standings and regular-season statistics. In the first step of the selection process for the seeding games, the matchups were chosen chronologically, starting from March 11, except in these instances:

• A matchup featured a non-participating team

• A matchup resulted in either team in the matchup exceeding eight total games

• A matchup prevented any participating team from having eight feasible matchups

The second step in the selection process was matchup balancing. There were eight instances in which selecting matchups chronologically prevented a matchup that was scheduled to be played two more times in the remainder of the regular season from being included among the seeding games. In those cases, one instance of that matchup was added as a seeding game, and instances of repeat matchups as seeding games were removed where possible.

The seeding games will conclude on Aug. 14. If a play-in is required to determine the eighth playoff seed in either conference, it will take place on Aug. 15-16. The first round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs will begin on Aug. 17.

Altitude Sports & Entertainment will televise all eight Nuggets seeding games in high-definition and will also broadcast all games on Altitude Radio 92.5 FM/950 AM, the Nuggets Radio Network. For comprehensive and behind the scenes coverage, tune in to Nuggets 360 on Altitude TV and follow along at nuggets.com and @nuggets on Twitter. No games will be exclusive to national broadcasts during the seeding play.

Thunder to resume play August 1st vs Jazz

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced the schedule for its eight seeding games to restart the 2019-20 season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida today.

The Thunder will open play on Saturday, Aug. 1 versus the Utah Jazz. The team will then face the Denver Nuggets on Aug. 3 before its contest versus the Los Angeles Lakers on Aug. 5. Oklahoma City will face the Memphis Grizzlies on Aug. 7 then complete a back-to-back on Aug. 9 and 10, facing the Washington Wizards and Phoenix Suns, respectively. Oklahoma City’s final two seeding games will be Aug. 12 versus the Miami Heat and Aug. 14 versus the LA Clippers.

All eight of the Thunder’s seeding games in Orlando will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Oklahoma. Additionally, all games can be heard via the Thunder Radio Network, led by flagship station WWLS-The Sports Animal (98.1 FM) in Oklahoma City.

ESPN will televise two of Oklahoma City’s games (Aug. 1 vs. the Utah Jazz and Aug. 5 at the Los Angeles Lakers) while NBA TV will broadcast two of the team’s games (Aug. 3 vs. the Denver Nuggets and Aug. 7 at the Memphis Grizzlies).

Given the updated game schedule and format for the 2019-20 season, the Thunder has solidified a playoff berth for the 10th time in the last 11 seasons, joining the San Antonio Spurs as the only other team to accomplish the feat in this timeframe. This also marks the team’s 11th straight season with a record above .500, good for the longest active streak in the NBA.

Kings will restart the 2019-20 NBA season vs Spurs July 31

The Sacramento Kings will restart the 2019-20 NBA season in Orlando at the Walt Disney World Resort as one of 22 returning teams to play eight “seeding games” as selected from its remaining regular-season schedule, beginning with a matchup against DeMar DeRozan and the San Antonio Spurs on July 31 at 5pm PDT. The seeding games are part of the NBA competitive format plan, featuring the eight teams in each conference with the highest current winning percentages and the six teams that are currently within six games of the eighth seed in either conference.

All Kings seeding games are listed below and will be broadcast on NBC Sports California (NBCSCA) and Sports 1140 KHTK. Fans can also watch the Kings take on 2019 No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans on August 11 at 6pm PDT in a nationally televised game on TNT.

“We are looking forward to this opportunity in Orlando, and getting back to playing the game we love,” said Kings Head Coach Luke Walton. “We continue to work with the NBA to prioritize health and safety, while recognizing our responsibility to use our platform to bring attention and drive sustained action to issues of racial injustice.”

“We are thankful for the chance to restart the season while also remaining focused on using our platform to make a positive difference and drive meaningful change in our community,” said Kings General Manager Vlade Divac. “We continue collaborating with the league as we all work to resume play in a safe and responsible manner.”

SACRAMENTO KINGS 2019-20 SEEDING GAMES SCHEDULE

(All Times Listed in PDT)

Game 1: Friday, July 31, 5 PM: Kings at San Antonio Spurs (NBCSCA, KHTK)

Game 2: Sunday, August 2, 3 PM: Kings at Orlando Magic (NBCSCA, NBATV, KHTK)

Game 3: Tuesday, August 4, 11:30 AM: Kings vs. Dallas Mavericks (NBCSCA, KHTK)

Game 4: Thursday, August 6, 10:30 AM: Kings vs. New Orleans Pelicans (NBCSCA, NBATV, KHTK)

Game 5: Friday, August 7, 2 PM: Kings at Brooklyn Nets (NBCSCA, KHTK)

Game 6: Sunday, August 9, 5 PM: Kings vs. Houston Rockets (NBCSCA, KHTK)

Game 7: Tuesday, August 11, 6 PM: Kings vs. New Orleans Pelicans (NBCSCA, TNT, KHTK)

Game 8: Thursday, August 13, Time TBD: Kings at Los Angeles Lakers (NBCSCA, KHTK)

Following the seeding games, the seven teams in each conference with the highest combined winning percentages across regular-season games and seeding games will be the first through seventh seeds for the NBA Playoffs for that conference. If the team with the eighth-best combined winning percentage (regular-season games and seeding games) in a conference is more than four games ahead of the team with the ninth-best combined winning percentage in the same conference, then the team with the eighth-best winning percentage would be the eighth playoff seed in that conference.

If the team with the eighth-best combined winning percentage in a conference (Team 8) is four games or fewer ahead of the team with the ninth-best combined winning percentage in the same conference (Team 9), then those two teams would compete in a play-in tournament to determine the eighth playoff seed in the conference. The play-in tournament will be double elimination for Team 8 and single elimination for Team 9.

The NBA’s standard playoff tiebreaker procedures will be used to break any ties on the basis of winning percentage. Once the 16-team playoff field is set, the NBA Playoffs will proceed in a traditional conference-based format with four rounds and best-of-seven series in each round. The 2020 NBA Finals will end no later than Oct. 13.

Wizards set to resume NBA play this summer in Orlando

The Washington Wizards announced their final eight games of the 2019-20 regular season today, set to be played in Orlando at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Washington will begin its eight games on July 31, with a matchup against the Phoenix Suns at 4:00 p.m. The 2019-20 Wizards season is presented by Capital One.

“We are all looking forward to reuniting as a team and having the opportunity to represent our DC Family in Orlando as we resume the regular season,” said Wizards General Manager Tommy Sheppard. “As exciting as it will be to see our players competing on the court again, we are equally eager to be able to use this platform to continue the amazing and inspiring work that our players and organization have done in addressing issues of social injustice and providing relief during the pandemic.”

The team will resume the season against the Suns, marking the second time the two teams will face each other after Washington won the initial meeting 140-132 on November 27 in Phoenix. Washington’s remaining schedule consists of five Eastern Conference opponents (Brooklyn, Indiana, Philadelphia, Milwaukee and Boston) and two Western Conference teams (Oklahoma City and New Orleans). The Wizards have played at least one game against all their upcoming opponents this season other than the New Orleans Pelicans. The team will close out the regular season against the Boston Celtics on August 13.

The Wizards’ first seven games will be televised on NBCSW, with the broadcast information for their final game against Boston TBD. All games will be broadcast via radio on WFED 1500 AM.

Washington will continue with individual player workouts at the MedStar Wizards Performance Center through July 6. They will then depart for Orlando on July 7 and complete a mandatory quarantine period prior to beginning a three-week training camp before the resumption of games. Playoff play-in games are set to begin on August 16 (if necessary), with the first round of the playoffs beginning on either August 17 or August 18.

At the suspension of the NBA season on March 12, the Wizards had amassed a record of 24-40, which left them as the ninth-seed in the Eastern Conference and 5.5 games behind the Orlando Magic for the final playoff spot. Under the format for the resumption of play, the ninth seed in the conference can force a potential two-game playoff with the eighth seed (the ninth seed must defeat the eighth seed twice, while the eighth must only win once) if the ninth seed finishes within four games of the eighth seed in the final standings.