Pelicans and Jazz Kick-Off Restart
The New Orleans Pelicans play host to the Utah Jazz to kick-off the NBA restart season openers in Orlando on Thursday.
The Jazz drew a lot of criticism when the season came to a halt, because of Rudy Gobert's antics about the COVID-19 outbreak. He subsequently became the first professional athlete with the sickness and it led to the league being halted for three months. There was some talk about there being a rift between him and some teammates but all of that has been put to bed with his performances in the scrimmage games. This team looks as cohesive as ever and having a situation like that might have brought this team closer together. This is a team that's going to have to play with some fury too, sitting fourth in the Western Conference. They're currently 1.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets in third and are only up 2.5 games if the Dallas Mavericks in seventh. That means they can land anywhere and it gives every game a playoff atmosphere from here on out.
The Pelicans have as much hype as any team heading into this restart. While they sit just 10th in the Western Conference, many people believe this is one of the most talented teams in the league. Adding Zion Williamson is a major reason why and his quarantine luckily ended on Tuesday. That means he'll probably suit up here, pairing him up with Jrue Holiday and Brandon Ingram. This was a different team right before the break too, going 22-14 after a 6-22 start. That makes this one of the scariest clubs to face out there and it's way too early to count them out.
This marks the fourth meeting between these teams, with Utah winning two of the three. All three games have been high-scoring matchups, with no team scoring fewer than 120 points in any of the outings.
The Jazz drew a lot of criticism when the season came to a halt, because of Rudy Gobert's antics about the COVID-19 outbreak. He subsequently became the first professional athlete with the sickness and it led to the league being halted for three months. There was some talk about there being a rift between him and some teammates but all of that has been put to bed with his performances in the scrimmage games. This team looks as cohesive as ever and having a situation like that might have brought this team closer together. This is a team that's going to have to play with some fury too, sitting fourth in the Western Conference. They're currently 1.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets in third and are only up 2.5 games if the Dallas Mavericks in seventh. That means they can land anywhere and it gives every game a playoff atmosphere from here on out.
The Pelicans have as much hype as any team heading into this restart. While they sit just 10th in the Western Conference, many people believe this is one of the most talented teams in the league. Adding Zion Williamson is a major reason why and his quarantine luckily ended on Tuesday. That means he'll probably suit up here, pairing him up with Jrue Holiday and Brandon Ingram. This was a different team right before the break too, going 22-14 after a 6-22 start. That makes this one of the scariest clubs to face out there and it's way too early to count them out.
This marks the fourth meeting between these teams, with Utah winning two of the three. All three games have been high-scoring matchups, with no team scoring fewer than 120 points in any of the outings.
Clippers, Lakers Kick Off NBA Restart
By Dan Bruno
The Los Angeles Clippers play the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday in the NBA restart season openers for both teams, at Orlando.
The Lakers entered the bubble with the best record in the West, while the Clippers were right behind them in second place.
Anthony Davis has been a monster so far this season, as he averaged 26.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.4 blocks and 1.5 steals per game, over 55 games played. However, Davis (eye) missed a number of games due to minor injuries, and is listed as questionable for action on Thursday. LeBron James (groin) is also listed as probable for action. James was having an amazing season before the stoppage, averaging 25.7 points, 10.6 assists, 7.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game, over 60 games played. The Lakers added some reinforcements since the season was suspended, as J.R. Smith and Dion Waiters are the newest members of the roster and bring a whole lot of instant offense to help pick up the slack while the big guns rest. They also make up for the absences of Rajon Rondo (thumb), and Avery Bradley (opted out of restart).
Meanwhile, the break in action was likely beneficial for the Clippers, as it gave some of their guys time to rest and be at full strength for the restart. Paul George, who had been dealing with a nagging shoulder injury, looked good in the Clippers' last scrimmage, where he tallied a team-high 19 points. Kawhi Leonard had been looking strong before the stoppage in the season, as he averaged 26.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game, over 51 games. Reggie Jackson was a recent addition to the Clippers' lineup before the stoppage, and quickly showed what he can do, averaging 9.4 points on 52.5 percent shooting, over nine games. Patrick Beverley (quarantine) is questionable for action.
The Lakers entered the bubble with the best record in the West, while the Clippers were right behind them in second place.
Anthony Davis has been a monster so far this season, as he averaged 26.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.4 blocks and 1.5 steals per game, over 55 games played. However, Davis (eye) missed a number of games due to minor injuries, and is listed as questionable for action on Thursday. LeBron James (groin) is also listed as probable for action. James was having an amazing season before the stoppage, averaging 25.7 points, 10.6 assists, 7.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game, over 60 games played. The Lakers added some reinforcements since the season was suspended, as J.R. Smith and Dion Waiters are the newest members of the roster and bring a whole lot of instant offense to help pick up the slack while the big guns rest. They also make up for the absences of Rajon Rondo (thumb), and Avery Bradley (opted out of restart).
Meanwhile, the break in action was likely beneficial for the Clippers, as it gave some of their guys time to rest and be at full strength for the restart. Paul George, who had been dealing with a nagging shoulder injury, looked good in the Clippers' last scrimmage, where he tallied a team-high 19 points. Kawhi Leonard had been looking strong before the stoppage in the season, as he averaged 26.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game, over 51 games. Reggie Jackson was a recent addition to the Clippers' lineup before the stoppage, and quickly showed what he can do, averaging 9.4 points on 52.5 percent shooting, over nine games. Patrick Beverley (quarantine) is questionable for action.