The NBA plans to resume play on July 31 with 22 of its 30 teams competing for the final seeds of a 16-team playoff, according to a report from ESPN.
The NBA’s Board of Governors scheduled a call for 9:30 a.m. PT on Thursday to approve the format. Approval of at least 23 owners is required but expected.
The 22-team format will feature the 16 teams that were in Eastern and Western Conference playoff positions as of March 11, along with six teams within six games of a playoff spot, when the league abruptly suspended play in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Each of the 22 teams will play eight regular-season games to finalize the playoff seeding.
The 22 teams will include nine from the Eastern Conference and 13 and from the Western Conference.
Eastern teams include Milwaukee, Toronto, Boston, Miami, Indiana, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Orlando and Washington. Western teams include Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver, Utah, Oklahoma City, Houston, Dallas, Memphis, Portland, New Orleans, Sacramento, San Antonio, and Phoenix.
The games will be played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex just outside of Orlando, FL without fans in attendance.
ESPN reported Tuesday that the tentative dates for the rest of the season, through the last likely date for a Game 7 in the N.B.A. finals, would be July 31 through Oct. 12.
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