Each of the 22 teams taking part in the NBA’s return will play eight seeding games to help finalize the 2020 NBA Playoff bracket. Each team is planned to play the opponents that it would have faced before the shutdown, though since eight franchises weren’t invited to Orlando, teams having had a match-up with one of the eliminated squads on the docket will move on to the next in line.
Four teams, including the Lakers, Trail Blazers, Heat, and Magic will not be able to reach 8 games this way, so it is presumed that they will match up with one another in order to reach that number. It has not been officially announced, but here is how this year’s NBA season schedule should look for the seeding games based on its plan:
- BROOKLYN NETS: vs. Clippers, Kings, Celtics, Magic, Wizards, Clippers, Magic, Blazers
- BOSTON CELTICS: vs. Bucks, Wizards, Nets, Wizards, Raptors, Blazers, Grizzlies, Heat
- DENVER NUGGETS: vs. Spurs, Clippers, Thunder, Raptors, Lakers, Heat, Spurs, Thunder
- DALLAS MAVERICKS: vs. Suns, Kings, Blazers, Suns, Clippers, Rockets, Jazz, Bucks
- INDIANA PACERS: vs. 76ers, Suns, Magic, Rockets, Kings, Heat, Clippers, Lakers
- HOUSTON ROCKETS: vs. Lakers, Kings, Bucks, Mavericks, Blazers, Pacers, 76ers, Raptors
- LOS ANGELES LAKERS: vs. Rockets, Jazz, Raptors, Nuggets, Pacers, Trail Blazers,* Heat or Magic*
- LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS: vs. Nets, Pelicans, Nuggets, Suns, Nets, Mavericks, Pacers, Thunder
- MIAMI HEAT: vs. Bucks, Suns, Celtics, Raptors, Pacers, Thunder, Nuggets, *Lakers or Trail Blazers*
- MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: vs. Blazers, Jazz, Spurs, Thunder, Bucks, Pelicans, Pelicans, Celtics
- MILWAUKEE BUCKS: vs. Celtics, Heat, Grizzlies, Wizards, Rockets, Wizards, Mavericks, Raptors
- NEW ORLEANS PELICANS: vs. Kings, Jazz, Spurs, Grizzlies, Kings, Clippers, Grizzlies, Magic
- OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER: vs. Jazz, Nuggets, Heat, Nuggets, Wizards, Grizzlies, Suns, Clippers
- PHILADELPHIA 76ERS: vs. Pacers, Raptors, Blazers, Suns, Wizards, Rockets, Magic, Spurs
- ORLANDO MAGIC: vs. Pacers, Nets, Nets, Pelicans, 76ers, Raptors, Kings, Lakers or Trail Blazers*
- PHOENIX SUNS: vs. Mavericks, 76ers, Wizards, Heat, Thunder, Pacers, Clippers, Mavericks
- SACRAMENTO KINGS: vs. Pelicans, Rockets, Magic, Nets, Mavericks, Pelicans, Pacers, Spurs
- PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS: vs. Grizzlies, Mavericks, 76ers, Celtics, Rockets, Nets, Lakers,* Heat or Magic*
- SAN ANTONIO SPURS: vs. Grizzlies, Pelicans, Nuggets, Jazz, Jazz, Nuggets, Kings, 76ers
- TORONTO RAPTORS: vs. 76ers, Lakers, Bucks, Celtics, Nuggets, Rockets, Heat, Magic
- UTAH JAZZ: vs. Thunder, Lakers, Lakers, Pelicans, Grizzlies, Spurs, Spurs, Mavericks
- WASHINGTON WIZARDS: vs. Celtics, Nets, Bucks, Celtics, Thunder, 76ers, Suns, Bucks