By Bill Speros | | 5 mins
NBA To Resume 2019-20 Season: Key Dates, Odds, News Updates
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The NBA resumes play at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando on July 30, nearly five months after the season was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Each of the 22 teams in the “bubble” will play eight regular-season games to determine playoff seeding in their respective conference. The top eight teams in each conference will advance to the playoffs. There are nine teams from the Eastern Conference represented, and 13 from the Western Conference. There will be no fans in attendance. The games will be played inside the Arena, Field House and Visa Athletic Center on the Disney campus, and you can find our daily NBA picks here.
Here are the key days on the NBA calendar through the end of 2020:
NBA 2020 Calendar- July 30: Games begin
- Aug. 15-16: Play-in tournaments (if nec.)
- Aug. 17: Round 1 of playoffs begin
- Aug. 25: NBA Draft Lottery
- Aug. 31-Sept. 13: Round 2 of playoffs
- Sept. 15-28: Conference Finals
- Sept. 30: NBA Finals begin
- Oct. 12: Game 7 of the Finals (if nec.)
- Oct. 15: NBA Draft
- Oct. 18: Free-agency begins
- Nov. 10: Training camp begins
- Dec. 1: 2020-21 season begins
The NBA season was shut down on March 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Teams began arriving in Orlando this week. Players will be housed, train and play on Disney property and won’t be allowed to leave their designated areas. They will be asked to follow strict public-health guidelines, in addition to undergoing routine virus testing. Family members will be allowed to join players after the first round of the playoffs.
CHECK OUT: Ultimate Betting Guide to 2020 NBA Playoffs
The Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans begin the NBA restart with a 6:30 p.m. ET tip on July 30. That game will be followed by a potential Western Conference Finals preview as the Los Angeles Lakers face off against the Los Angeles Clippers at 9 p.m. Both games will be televised on TNT.
Lakers, Bucks Favorites To Win NBA Title
The Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James are +240 favorites to win the NBA championship, according to oddsmakers at DraftKings. The Milwaukee Bucks are close behind at +250. They are led by Giannis Antetokounmpo. The only other team within range is the Los Angeles Clippers at +330. They hope to ride the hot streak of Kawhi Leonard in the postseason to their first-ever championship going back to their days as the Buffalo Braves.
Below are the NBA standings and seedings of the teams invited to compete in Orlando when play resumes. The top eight teams in each conference will reach the postseason. There are more teams in the West in contention for the final playoff spot, and therefore more teams in play. Teams are listed with their current odds to win the NBA title, via bet365, and regular-season records.
Eastern Conference
| Team | Title Odds | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Milwaukee Bucks | +225 | 53-12 |
| 2. Toronto Raptors | +1600 | 46-18 |
| 2. Boston Celtics | +1800 | 43-21 |
| 4. Miami Heat | +2800 | 41-24 |
| 5. Indiana Pacers | +8000 | 39-2) |
| 6. Philadelphia 79ers | +2000 | 39-26 |
| 7. Brooklyn Nets | +10000 | 30-34 |
| 8. Orlando Magic | +15000 | 30-35 |
| 9. Washington Wizards | +30000 | 24-40 |
Western Conference
| Team | Title Odds | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Los Angeles Lakers | +225 | 49-14 |
| 2. Los Angeles Clippers | +325 | 44-20 |
| 3. Denver Nuggets | +2500 | 43-22 |
| 4. Utah Jazz | +2200 | 41-23 |
| 5. Oklahoma City Thunder | +7000 | 40-24 |
| 6. Houston Rockets | +1400 | 40-24 |
| 7. Dallas Mavericks | +3300 | 40-27 |
| 8. Memphis Grizzlies | +12500 | 32-33 |
| 9. Portland Trail Blazers | +10000 | 29-37 |
| 10. New Orleans Pelicans | +8000 | 28-36 |
| 11. Sacramento Kings | +25000 | 28-36 |
| 12. San Antonio Spurs | +20000 | 27-36 |
| 13. Phoenix Suns | +25000 | 26-39 |
While teams and players arrived in Orlando, there were several players who did not. Here is the latest list of confirmed players of note who will not be playing at Walt Disney World when the season resumes and the reason why.
RELATED: Up-To-The-Minute 2020 NBA Title Odds
| Player, Team | Reason |
|---|---|
| DeAndre Jordan, Brooklyn Nets | COVID-19 + |
| Spencer Dinwiddie, Brooklyn Nets | COVID-19 + |
| Wilson Chandler, Brooklyn Nets | Personal Concerns |
| Willie Cauley-Stein, Dallas Mavericks | Personal Concerns |
| Avery Bradley, Los Angeles Lakers | Personal Concerns |
| Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers | Injury |
| Trevor Ariza, Portland Trail Blazers | Personal Concerns |
| Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards | Injury |
| Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets | Injury |
| Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets | Injury |
| Bojan Bogdanovic, Utah Jazz | Injury |
RELATED: Coronavirus Sports, Horse Racing News Tracker
Play-In Tournament For Final Seed Possible
Before play begins, teams will compete in three intersquad scrimmages from July 22-28 in final preparation for the resumption of the season.
There will be a play-in tournament between the No. 8 and No. 9 team if the gap between the two teams is four games or fewer at the conclusion of the eight-game, regular-season conclusion. That play-in series will be a best-of-two event where the No. 9 team will have to win two straight games, while the No. 8 team will have to win only one to advance.
Among the other NBA futures odds that bettors can wager on is whether or not several teams on the playoff bubble will make the playoffs. The New Orleans Pelicans and Zion Williamson are at +290 to make the playoffs in the West and -435 miss the playoffs. Williamson, who missed the first 44 games of the regular season, is now +1400 to in Rookie of the Year odds at DraftKings, while Ja Morant of the Grizzlies is -5000.
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