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February 26, 2021

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NBA unveils 2nd-half season schedule

The National Basketball Association released its schedule for the second half of the regular season on Wednesday, a jam-packed program designed to have all 30 teams complete 72 games despite coronavirus disruptions.

When the 2020-21 campaign got under way in December, the NBA divided the season into two segments to allow flexibility in the face of the ongoing pandemic.

With 29 games postponed so far, the handful of teams most affected face a tough race to the finish when the second half of the season begins after the March 5-10 All-Star Break.

Those teams include the four in action on March 10: the Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks.

The second-half schedule concludes on May 16, to be followed by a play-in tournament from May 18-21.

That will feature four teams in each conference battling for the final two playoff spots in the Eastern and Western conferences.

The playoffs proper begin on May 22 with the championship series set to end before the Tokyo Olympic Games open on July 23.

Among the notable fixtures in the second half of the season, the Los Angeles Clippers host the reigning champions Lakers at Staples Center on April 4.

LeBron James and the Lakers take on Kevin Durant and the Nets in Brooklyn on April 10.

Two road games

As in the first half of the season, the NBA will minimize travel by scheduling teams to play two road games in the same city.

The Utah Jazz, currently leading the league, are slated to host the Lakers on April 17 and 19 in Salt Lake City.

Meanwhile, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker will replace injured Lakers forward Anthony Davis in the NBA All-Star Game, league commissioner Adam Silver said on Wednesday.

With starters and reserves determined, Silver has the task of naming replacements for injured All-Stars for the mid-season exhibition set for March 7 in Atlanta.

Davis was voted an All-Star reserve by NBA coaches, but he will miss the event as he continues to recover from a right Achilles tendon injury.

Booker is averaging a team-high 24.7 points, 4.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds while shooting a career-high 50.1 percent from the field this season.

He and Chris Paul have helped propel the Suns to the league’s fourth-best record at 20-10, their best start through 30 games since the 2007-08 campaign.

Rosters for the game will be determined via a draft on March 4 with Durant of the Nets and James of the Lakers each choosing 11 players for his team.




 

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