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On Friday, the NBA and NBPA announced that they have finalized a comprehensive plan for a restart to the 2019-20 season at a single-site campus at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida.
The restart will begin July 30 with each participating team playing eight “seeding games,” as selected from its remaining regular-season matchups as the NBA announced Friday night on ESPN the complete game schedule for the seeding games.
No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans will tip-off against the Utah Jazz in the first game back July 30 on TNT at 6:30 p.m. ET. Following that matchup, the battle of Los Angeles will take place with the Lakers and Clippers set to begin at 9 p.m. ET.
Zion Williamson will play in the first game of the NBA's restart: Pelicans vs. Jazz on July 30
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 26, 2020
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.
Following the seeding games, the top seven teams in each conference will qualify for the playoffs. A play-in tournament will occur for the eighth seed if the ninth-placed team is within four games. The play-in tournament will be double elimination for the eighth-placed team.
The NBA wasted no time showcasing Williamson and the Pelicans as they will help kick off the season restart next month. The belief is the NBA wanted to include Williamson in the restart and his inclusion is likely a victory for the league.
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