The NBA is set to resume the 2019-20 season on July 30, as a quick training camp and a series of scrimmages are winding down in Orlando. The 22 teams that have gathered in Florida will play eight games each to determine which squads make the 16-team playoff bracket and how the final seeding will look. The season returns on Thursday with two games: Utah against New Orleans and the two Los Angeles teams squaring off. After that, the league will run as many as six games per day, with ESPN, ABC, TNT and NBATV carrying the bulk of the action. Here is a schedule for the first weekend of basketball action along with some sports betting suggestions plus an idea of NBA odds for that opening day.
NBA News: Complete Betting Guide for Week 1
| Thursday, July 30 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Utah vs New Orleans | 6:30 pm ET | TNT |
| L.A. Clippers vs L.A. Lakers | 9:00 pm ET | TNT |
Friday, July 31 |
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| Orlando vs Brooklyn | 2:30 pm ET | |
| Memphis vs Portland | 4:00 pm ET | NBATV |
| Phoenix vs Washington | 4:00 pm ET | |
| Boston vs Milwaukee | 6:30 pm ET | ESPN |
| Sacramento vs San Antonio | 8:00 pm ET | |
| Houston vs Dallas | 9:00 pm ET | ESPN |
Saturday, August 1 |
||
| Miami vs Denver | 1:00 pm ET | ESPN |
| Utah vs Oklahoma City | 3:30 pm ET | ESPN |
| New Orleans vs L.A. Clippers | 6:00 pm ET | ESPN |
| Philadelphia vs Indiana | 7:00 pm ET | |
| L.A. Lakers vs Toronto | 8:30 pm ET | ESPN |
Sunday, August 2 |
||
| Washington vs Brooklyn | 2:00 pm ET | |
| Portland vs Boston | 3:30 pm ET | ABC |
| San Antonio vs Memphis | 4:00 pm ET | |
| Sacramento vs Orlando | 6:00 pm ET | NBATV |
| Milwaukee vs Houston | 8:30 pm ET | ABC |
| Dallas vs Phoenix | 9:00 pm ET | |
Jazz vs Pelicans
In Thursday’s matchup between the Jazz and Pelicans, New Orleans is ready to make a big push to get that eight-seed. They have to make up a 4 ½-game deficit on the Memphis Grizzlies and hope that Portland and Sacramento don’t do even better in trying to get into the tournament. Brandon Ingram leads the Pelicans with 24.3 points per game, but the real question is how much Zion Williamson, currently doubtful for Thursday’s game, will be available. He has 23.6 points and 6.8 boards per game. He had to leave the Orlando bubble for family reasons but returned and tested negative for COVID-19, so he has a four-day quarantine to carry out. Will he be ready for game action?
Utah has lost Bojan Bogdanovic for the season. It will be hard to replace 20.2 points per game. Donovan Mitchell leads the team with 24.2 points per contest, but without Bogdanovic in the starting lineup, Mitchell will face a lot stiffer defensive presence than he would otherwise. The Pelicans are a slight favorite with Bogdanovic out, but I like Utah to prevail because of their better system and greater depth.
Prediction:
Utah wins | Check the Odds
Clippers vs Lakers
The other Thursday matchup pits the Clippers against the Lakers. These two teams met on the opening night of the season, and the Clippers prevailed, but the Lakers have pulled past them in the standings. Lou Williams will be out for the Clippers, as he left the bubble and is back in quarantine, and Montrezl Harrell also had to re-enter quarantine after coming to the bubble late. The Lakers have Anthony Davis listed as questionable and Rajon Rondo listed as out. Kawhi Leonard has struggled with his shooting in the scrimmages, going just 9 for 38 overall and 3 for 21 from downtown in the last two contests. The Lakers have posted shooting percentages of 49, 49 and 57 in their three scrimmages. With Harrell likely out, and Ivica Zubac still working his way back into game shape, there should be plenty of room in the paint for the Lakers, even with Anthony Davis slated to miss the game.
Prediction:
Lakers wins | Check the Odds
