Despite a rise in confirmed Coronavirus cases, players opting out for the year, and a shortened regular-season schedule, the National Basketball Association (NBA) is scheduled to resume play July 30th, 2020.
The restart will see several changes and precautions due to the coronavirus pandemic. All games will be played at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, an agreed-upon location by the NBA and the NBA Players Association that could cost up to 150 million. Players will have free time away from the location, but it will be limited according to reports.
Welcome to a #WholeNewGame in Orlando!
NBA Restart begins July 30th with daily & nightly games on ESPN, TNT, ABC, NBA TV & NBA League Pass! pic.twitter.com/a59F6o9T97
— NBA (@NBA) July 12, 2020
In addition to the new home of the NBA (Disney), players from the returning 22 teams will be subject to rigorous coronavirus screenings. Teams started arriving in Orlando on July 7th. Upon arrival, several notable players, including Russell Wilson, Nikola Jokic, and Spencer Dinwiddle, have tested positive and will have to be separated and monitored for the next 14 days.
The NBA season will kick off with no fans for their Thursday night double hitter featuring the Jazz (+120) vs. Pelicans (-140), and the Lakers (-115) vs. Clippers (-105). Each of the 22 teams returning to the 2020 season will play eight regular-season games before the playoffs begin. Below is the list of teams invited to return to the 2020 NBA season.
Eastern Conference Teams:
Milwaukee Bucks
Toronto Raptors
Boston Celtics
Miami Heat
Indiana Pacers
Philadelphia 76ers
Brooklyn Nets
Orlando Magic
Washington Wizards
Western Conference Teams:
Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Clippers
Denver Nuggets
Utah Jazz
Oklahoma City Thunder
Houston Rockets
Dallas Mavericks
Memphis Grizzlies
Portland Trail Blazers
New Orleans Pelicans
Sacramento Kings
San Antonio Spurs
Phoenix Suns
*Players Who Are Out:
Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets)
Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn Nets)
DeAndre Jordan (Brooklyn Nets)
Taurean Prince (Brooklyn Nets)
Spencer Dinwiddie (Brooklyn Nets)
Wilson Chandler (Brooklyn Nets)
Victor Oladipo (Indiana Pacers)
LaMarcus Aldrige (San Antonio Spurs)
Bojan Bogdanovic (Utah Jazz)
Willie Cauley-Stein (Dallas Mavericks)
Avery Bradley (Los Angeles Lakers)
Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards)
Davis Bertans (Washington Wizards)
Thabo Sefolosha (Houston Rockets)
Trevor Ariza (Portland Trail Blazers)
Betting on the NBA will continue alongside the return of the NBA. While NBA futures remained, the odds shifted once the league confirmed the 22 teams. Online sportsbooks that accept 18-year-old bettors are offering future and game odds for the return of the NBA Season. Below you can see that Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are favored to win the NBA Finals.
2020 NBA Championship Winner (Bovada)
Los Angeles Lakers +200
Milwaukee Bucks +280
Los Angeles Clippers +300
Boston Celtics +1300
Houston Rockets +1300
The NBA Playoffs and Finals will be played in its traditional format. The Playoffs will begin on Aug. 17th, and the Finals will conclude by Oct. 13th. The most significant difference will be that there is no home-field advantage since all games will be held at the Disney World Sports Complex and that no fans will be in attendance. The next few months of NBA action will be interesting, to say the least, but fans and bettors alike will be watching with anticipation.
