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With 0.5 seconds on the clock and Toronto trailing by 2, Kyle Lowry threw a cross-court inbounds pass to OG Anunoby, who made a 3-point shot as the buzzer sounded to win the game for Toronto.
With 0.5 seconds on the clock and Toronto trailing by 2, Kyle Lowry threw a cross-court inbounds pass to OG Anunoby, who made a 3-point shot as the buzzer sounded to win the game for Toronto.


{{Basketballbox|date=September 5 |time=6:30pm |place=[[ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex|HP Field House]], [[Bay Lake, Florida]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]], [[Sportsnet One|SN1]]
{{Basketballbox|date=September 5 |time=6:30pm |place=[[ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex|HP Field House]], [[Bay Lake, Florida]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]], [[Sportsnet|SN]]
|team1='''[[Toronto Raptors]]''' |score1='''100'''
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|team2=[[Boston Celtics]] |score2=93
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{{Basketballbox|date=September 9 |time=6:30pm |place=[[ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex|HP Field House]], [[Bay Lake, Florida]] |TV=[[NBA on ESPN|ESPN]], [[Sportsnet One|SN1]]
{{Basketballbox|date=September 9 |time=6:30pm |place=[[ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex|HP Field House]], [[Bay Lake, Florida]] |TV=[[NBA on ESPN|ESPN]], [[Sportsnet|SN]]
|team1=[[Toronto Raptors]] |score1=
|team1=[[Toronto Raptors]] |score1=
|team2=[[Boston Celtics]] |score2=
|team2=[[Boston Celtics]] |score2=

Revision as of 19:22, 6 September 2020

2020 NBA playoffs
A logo used by The Walt Disney Company promoting its hosting of the playoffs at Walt Disney World, using the resort's original 1971 to 1994 logo below.
Venue(s)ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Bay Lake, Florida
DatesAugust 15 – October 13, 2020

The 2020 NBA playoffs is the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2019–20 season. The playoffs were originally scheduled to begin on April 18. However, the league suspended the season on March 11, 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic after some players tested positive for the virus.[1]

On June 4, the NBA Board of Governors approved a plan to restart the season on July 31 in the NBA Bubble.[2] This proposal was then approved by members of the National Basketball Players Association on June 5. Under this plan, the 22 top teams in the league at the time of the suspension will play eight additional regular season games to determine playoff seeding, and 16 of those teams will then play in a conventional postseason tournament. However, should the ninth seed within a conference finish the regular season within four games of the eighth seed, they will then compete in a play-in series.[3] The last time a play-in game was played to determine a playoff spot was in 1956.[4]

As part of the bubble, all playoff games will be held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex inside Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida.

Overview

Format

After the NBA suspended its season on March 11, 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the league started to explore implementing a special postseason format just for this year.[6]

On June 4, the NBA Board of Governors approved a plan to restart the season on July 31 in the NBA Bubble, with 22 of the 30 teams in the league, all clubs within six games of a playoff spot. Under this plan, the 22 teams will play eight regular-season "seeding" games. A possible best-of-three play-in series for the final seed in each conference would then be held if the ninth seed finishes the regular season within four games of the eighth seed. The eighth seed would start with a de facto 1–0 lead, meaning that it would need just one win to advance, while the ninth seed would need two. The NBA's regular playoff format would then proceed as normal. All games would be played behind closed doors at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Walt Disney World.[2]

Under the NBA's regular playoff format, the eight teams with the most wins in each conference qualify for the playoffs. The seedings are based on each team's record. Each conference's bracket is fixed; there is no reseeding. All rounds are best-of-seven series; the series ends when one team wins four games, and that team advances to the next round. All rounds, including the NBA Finals, are in a 2–2–1–1–1 format. In the conference playoffs, home court advantage goes to the higher-seeded team (number one being the highest). Seeding is based on each team's regular season record within a conference; if two teams have the same record, standard tiebreaker rules are used. Conference seedings are ignored for the NBA Finals: Home court advantage goes to the team with the better regular season record, and, if needed, ties are broken based on head to head record, followed by intra-conference record.

Playoff qualifying

On February 23, 2020, the Milwaukee Bucks became the first team to clinch a playoff spot.[7] The Toronto Raptors,[8] Los Angeles Lakers,[9] and Boston Celtics[10] subsequently clinched playoff berths before the season was suspended on March 11.[6]

Denotes team that clinched a playoff berth prior to the March 11 suspension of the season
* Denotes team that automatically clinched a playoff berth or a division title on the June approval of the 22-team plan to resume the season

Eastern Conference

Seed Team Record Clinched
Playoff berth Division title Best record
in conference
Best record
in NBA
1 Milwaukee Bucks 56–17 February 23†[7] June 4* August 6[11] August 8
2 Toronto Raptors 53–19 March 5†[8] August 9
3 Boston Celtics 48–24 March 10†[10]
4 Indiana Pacers 45–28 June 4*[2]
5 Miami Heat 44–29 June 4*[2] June 4*
6 Philadelphia 76ers 43–30 June 4*[2]
7 Brooklyn Nets 35–37 August 7[12]
8 Orlando Magic 33–40 August 7[13]

Western Conference

Seed Team Record Clinched
Playoff berth Division title Best record
in conference
Best record
in NBA
1 Los Angeles Lakers 52–19 March 6†[9] August 3[14] August 3[14]
2 Los Angeles Clippers 49–23 June 4*[2]
3 Denver Nuggets 46–27 June 4*[2] August 10
4 Houston Rockets 44–28 June 4*[2] August 9
5 Oklahoma City Thunder 44–28 June 4*[2]
6 Utah Jazz 44–28 June 4*[2]
7 Dallas Mavericks 43–32 August 2[15]
8 Portland Trail Blazers 35–39 August 15

Bracket

Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Template:2020 NBA playoffs

Play-in game

A play-in game took place in the Western Conference, as the ninth seeded Memphis finished within four games of the eighth seeded Portland. The eighth seed started with a de facto 1–0 lead and needed just one win to advance, while the ninth seed needed to win twice to clinch the final playoff spot.

Western Conference

(8) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (9) Memphis Grizzlies

August 15
2:30pm
Memphis Grizzlies 122, Portland Trail Blazers 126
Scoring by quarter: 19–31, 33–27, 42–31, 28–37
Pts: Ja Morant 35
Rebs: Jonas Valančiūnas 17
Asts: Kyle Anderson 9
Pts: Damian Lillard 31
Rebs: Jusuf Nurkić 21
Asts: Damian Lillard 10
Portland wins series, 1–0
HP Field House, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: James Capers, Pat Fraher, and Tony Brown

First round

Note: All times are EDT (UTC−4) as listed by the NBA. All games will be played behind closed doors at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Walt Disney World.

Eastern Conference

(1) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (8) Orlando Magic

August 18
1:30pm
Orlando Magic 122, Milwaukee Bucks 110
Scoring by quarter: 33–23, 29–29, 30–27, 30–31
Pts: Nikola Vučević 35
Rebs: Nikola Vučević 14
Asts: D. J. Augustin 11
Pts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 31
Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 17
Asts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 7
Orlando leads series, 1–0
August 20
6:00pm
Orlando Magic 96, Milwaukee Bucks 111
Scoring by quarter: 13–25, 30–39, 30–29, 23–18
Pts: Nikola Vučević 32
Rebs: Ennis, Vučević 10 each
Asts: D. J. Augustin 5
Pts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 28
Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 20
Asts: Eric Bledsoe 7
Series tied, 1–1
HP Field House, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: David Guthrie, James Williams, Tre Maddox
August 22
1:00pm
Milwaukee Bucks 121, Orlando Magic 107
Scoring by quarter: 31–23, 39–20, 29–34, 22–30
Pts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 35
Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 11
Asts: Eric Bledsoe 8
Pts: D. J. Augustin 24
Rebs: Gary Clark 8
Asts: D. J. Augustin 6
Milwaukee leads series, 2–1
HP Field House, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Marc Davis, Kevin Scott, Michael Smith
August 24
1:30pm
Milwaukee Bucks 121, Orlando Magic 106
Scoring by quarter: 22–18, 36–34, 26–29, 37–25
Pts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 31
Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 15
Asts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 8
Pts: Nikola Vučević 31
Rebs: Nikola Vučević 11
Asts: Fultz, Vučević 7 each
Milwaukee leads series, 3–1
HP Field House, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: James Capers, Ed Malloy, Courtney Kirkland
August 29
3:30pm
Orlando Magic 104, Milwaukee Bucks 118
Scoring by quarter: 21–26, 29–41, 29–23, 25–28
Pts: Nikola Vučević 22
Rebs: Nikola Vučević 15
Asts: Fultz, Vučević 5 each
Pts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 28
Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 17
Asts: Eric Bledsoe 8
Milwaukee wins series, 4–1
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Tony Brothers, Josh Tiven, Tyler Ford

Milwaukee is the first team in the league to boycott for social justice following the shooting of Jacob Blake.[16]

This was the second playoff meeting between the two teams, with the Bucks winning the first meeting.[17]

(2) Toronto Raptors vs. (7) Brooklyn Nets

August 17
4:00pm
Brooklyn Nets 110, Toronto Raptors 134
Scoring by quarter: 20–37, 31–36, 35–22, 24–39
Pts: Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot 26
Rebs: Jarrett Allen 12
Asts: Caris LeVert 15
Pts: Fred VanVleet 30
Rebs: Pascal Siakam 11
Asts: Fred VanVleet 11
Toronto leads series, 1–0
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: John Goble, Tony Brown, Leon Wood
August 19
1:30pm
Brooklyn Nets 99, Toronto Raptors 104
Scoring by quarter: 33–29, 20–21, 27–24, 19–30
Pts: Garrett Temple 21
Rebs: Allen, Harris 15 each
Asts: Caris LeVert 11
Pts: Powell, VanVleet 24 each
Rebs: Kyle Lowry 9
Asts: Fred VanVleet 10
Toronto leads series, 2–0
HP Field House, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Kane Fitzgerald, Sean Corbin, Brian Forte
August 21
1:30pm
Toronto Raptors 117, Brooklyn Nets 92
Scoring by quarter: 24–17, 33–25, 27–26, 33–24
Pts: Pascal Siakam 26
Rebs: Serge Ibaka 13
Asts: Kyle Lowry 7
Pts: Tyler Johnson 23
Rebs: Jarrett Allen 17
Asts: Caris LeVert 6
Toronto leads series, 3–0
HP Field House, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Zach Zarba, Pat Fraher, Kevin Cutler
August 23
6:30pm
Toronto Raptors 150, Brooklyn Nets 122
Scoring by quarter: 39–32, 38–36, 39–19, 34–35
Pts: Norman Powell 29
Rebs: Serge Ibaka 15
Asts: Pascal Siakam 10
Pts: Caris LeVert 35
Rebs: Jarrett Allen 15
Asts: Chiozza, LeVert 6 each
Toronto wins series, 4–0
HP Field House, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Scott Foster, Rodney Mott, Derrick Collins

The Raptors set an NBA playoff record in Game 4 with 100 bench points in a single game.[18]

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Nets winning the two previous meetings.[19]

(3) Boston Celtics vs. (6) Philadelphia 76ers

August 17
6:30pm
Philadelphia 76ers 101, Boston Celtics 109
Scoring by quarter: 26–25, 23–30, 30–20, 22–34
Pts: Joel Embiid 26
Rebs: Joel Embiid 16
Asts: Tobias Harris 8
Pts: Jayson Tatum 32
Rebs: Jayson Tatum 13
Asts: Kemba Walker 5
Boston leads series, 1–0
HP Field House, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Zach Zarba, Pat Fraher, Sean Corbin
August 19
6:30pm
Philadelphia 76ers 101, Boston Celtics 128
Scoring by quarter: 33–27, 24–38, 18–33, 26–30
Pts: Joel Embiid 34
Rebs: Tobias Harris 11
Asts: Shake Milton 4
Pts: Jayson Tatum 33
Rebs: Enes Kanter 9
Asts: Jayson Tatum 5
Boston leads series, 2–0
HP Field House, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: John Goble, Tony Brown, Curtis Blair
August 21
6:30pm
Boston Celtics 102, Philadelphia 76ers 94
Scoring by quarter: 26–24, 25–25, 25–23, 26–22
Pts: Kemba Walker 24
Rebs: Smart, Walker 8 each
Asts: Kemba Walker 4
Pts: Joel Embiid 30
Rebs: Tobias Harris 15
Asts: Tobias Harris 4
Boston leads series, 3–0
HP Field House, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Scott Foster, Sean Wright, Courtney Kirkland
August 23
1:00pm
Boston Celtics 110, Philadelphia 76ers 106
Scoring by quarter: 27–32, 30–26, 32–19, 21–29
Pts: Kemba Walker 32
Rebs: Jayson Tatum 15
Asts: Smart, Tatum, Walker 4 each
Pts: Joel Embiid 30
Rebs: Embiid, Horford 10 each
Asts: Josh Richardson 5
Boston wins series, 4–0
HP Field House, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Kane Fitzgerald, Eric Lewis, Dedric Taylor

This was the 22nd playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning 13 of the first 21 meetings.[20]

(4) Indiana Pacers vs. (5) Miami Heat

August 18
4:00pm
Miami Heat 113, Indiana Pacers 101
Scoring by quarter: 27–33, 29–19, 25–28, 32–21
Pts: Jimmy Butler 28
Rebs: Bam Adebayo 10
Asts: Bam Adebayo 6
Pts: T. J. Warren 22
Rebs: Myles Turner 9
Asts: Malcolm Brogdon 10
Miami leads series, 1–0
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: David Guthrie, Ed Malloy, Tyler Ford
August 20
1:00pm
Miami Heat 109, Indiana Pacers 100
Scoring by quarter: 22–24, 29–22, 37–31, 21–23
Pts: Duncan Robinson 24
Rebs: Jae Crowder 8
Asts: Dragić, Butler 6 each
Pts: Victor Oladipo 22
Rebs: Myles Turner 8
Asts: Malcolm Brogdon 9
Miami leads series, 2–0
HP Field House, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: James Capers, Josh Tiven, Derrick Collins
August 22
3:30pm
Indiana Pacers 115, Miami Heat 124
Scoring by quarter: 27–34, 29–40, 34–20, 25–30
Pts: Malcolm Brogdon 34
Rebs: Myles Turner 12
Asts: Malcolm Brogdon 14
Pts: Jimmy Butler 27
Rebs: Bam Adebayo 11
Asts: Goran Dragić 6
Miami leads series, 3–0
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Tony Brothers, Tre Maddox, Ben Taylor
August 24
6:30pm
Indiana Pacers 87, Miami Heat 99
Scoring by quarter: 22–21, 20–27, 20–22, 25–29
Pts: Victor Oladipo 25
Rebs: Myles Turner 14
Asts: Malcolm Brogdon 7
Pts: Goran Dragić 23
Rebs: Bam Adebayo 19
Asts: Bam Adebayo 6
Miami wins series, 4–0
HP Field House, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Marc Davis, Kevin Scott, Gediminas Petraitis

This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Heat winning three of the first four meetings.[21]

Western Conference

(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) Portland Trail Blazers

August 18
9:00pm
Portland Trail Blazers 100, Los Angeles Lakers 93
Scoring by quarter: 36–25, 21–31, 21–19, 22–18
Pts: Damian Lillard 34
Rebs: Jusuf Nurkić 15
Asts: Anthony, Lillard 5 each
Pts: Anthony Davis 28
Rebs: LeBron James 17
Asts: LeBron James 16
Portland leads series, 1–0
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Marc Davis, Tre Maddox, James Williams

Despite a losing effort, LeBron James had the first 20 point, 15 rebound, 15 assist performance in NBA playoff history.

August 20
9:00pm
Portland Trail Blazers 88, Los Angeles Lakers 111
Scoring by quarter: 19–27, 20–29, 19–32, 30–23
Pts: Damian Lillard 18
Rebs: Hassan Whiteside 9
Asts: CJ McCollum 3
Pts: Anthony Davis 31
Rebs: Anthony Davis 11
Asts: LeBron James 7
Series tied, 1–1
August 22
8:30pm
Los Angeles Lakers 116, Portland Trail Blazers 108
Scoring by quarter: 25–29, 28–28, 40–29, 23–22
Pts: LeBron James 38
Rebs: LeBron James 12
Asts: Davis, James 8 each
Pts: Damian Lillard 34
Rebs: McCollum, Whiteside 8 each
Asts: Damian Lillard 7
LA Lakers lead series, 2–1
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: James Capers, Josh Tiven, Mark Ayotte
August 24
9:00pm
Los Angeles Lakers 135, Portland Trail Blazers 115
Scoring by quarter: 43–25, 37–26, 32–36, 23–28
Pts: LeBron James 30
Rebs: McGee, Howard 8 each
Asts: LeBron James 10
Pts: Jusuf Nurkić 20
Rebs: Jusuf Nurkić 13
Asts: Anfernee Simons 6
LA Lakers lead series, 3–1
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: David Guthrie, Rodney Mott, Ben Taylor
August 29
9:00pm
Portland Trail Blazers 122, Los Angeles Lakers 131
Scoring by quarter: 31–35, 37–33, 24–32, 30–31
Pts: CJ McCollum 36
Rebs: Jusuf Nurkić 10
Asts: CJ McCollum 7
Pts: Anthony Davis 43
Rebs: LeBron James 10
Asts: LeBron James 10
LA Lakers win series, 4–1
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Marc Davis, Kevin Scott, Curtis Blair

This is the Lakers first playoff series win since 2012.

Game 5 was postponed by the league following a boycott by the Lakers and Trail Blazers.[22]

This was the 12th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning nine of the first eleven meetings.[23]

(2) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (7) Dallas Mavericks

August 17
9:00pm
Dallas Mavericks 110, Los Angeles Clippers 118
Scoring by quarter: 38–34, 31–32, 13–21, 28–31
Pts: Luka Dončić 42
Rebs: Boban Marjanović 8
Asts: Luka Dončić 9
Pts: Kawhi Leonard 29
Rebs: Kawhi Leonard 12
Asts: Kawhi Leonard 6
LA Clippers lead series, 1–0
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Kane Fitzgerald, Eric Lewis, Mark Ayotte

Dončić's 42 points are the most points in a playoff debut.

August 19
9:00pm
Dallas Mavericks 127, Los Angeles Clippers 114
Scoring by quarter: 29–25, 32–31, 37–29, 29–29
Pts: Luka Dončić 28
Rebs: Maxi Kleber 10
Asts: Luka Dončić 7
Pts: Kawhi Leonard 35
Rebs: George, Leonard 10 each
Asts: Lou Williams 7
Series tied, 1–1
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Scott Foster, Sean Wright, Courtney Kirkland
August 21
9:00pm
Los Angeles Clippers 130, Dallas Mavericks 122
Scoring by quarter: 23–23, 45–31, 34–31, 28–37
Pts: Kawhi Leonard 36
Rebs: George, Leonard 9 each
Asts: Kawhi Leonard 8
Pts: Kristaps Porziņģis 34
Rebs: Kristaps Porziņģis 13
Asts: Luka Dončić 10
LA Clippers lead series, 2–1
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: John Goble, Tony Brown, Curtis Blair
August 23
3:30pm
Los Angeles Clippers 133, Dallas Mavericks 135 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 34–24, 32–34, 19–35, 36–28, Overtime: 12–14
Pts: Lou Williams 36
Rebs: Kawhi Leonard 9
Asts: Lou Williams 5
Pts: Luka Dončić 43
Rebs: Luka Dončić 17
Asts: Luka Dončić 13
Series tied, 2–2
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Zach Zarba, James Williams, Kevin Cutler

Down by 1, Luka Dončić hit the game-winning 3 point buzzer-beater at the end of overtime. He becomes the youngest player to hit a buzzer-beater in the playoffs. His winning shot capped an incredible triple-double performance with 43 points, 17 rebounds, and 13 assists.

August 25
9:00pm
Dallas Mavericks 111, Los Angeles Clippers 154
Scoring by quarter: 22–41, 30–35, 34–35, 25–43
Pts: Luka Dončić 22
Rebs: Luka Dončić 8
Asts: Dončić, Finney-Smith 4 each
Pts: Paul George 35
Rebs: Montrezl Harrell 11
Asts: Reggie Jackson 5
LA Clippers lead series, 3–2
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Kane Fitzgerald, Pat Fraher, Tre Maddox

The Clippers set 5 franchise records in this game, including: most points scored in a playoff game, as well as most 3-pointers made in a playoff game, as they shot 22-of-35 from long range.

August 30
3:30pm
Los Angeles Clippers 111, Dallas Mavericks 97
Scoring by quarter: 29–34, 28–17, 28–23, 26–23
Pts: Kawhi Leonard 33
Rebs: Kawhi Leonard 14
Asts: George, Leonard 7 each
Pts: Luka Dončić 38
Rebs: Burke, Dončić 9 each
Asts: Luka Dončić 9
LA Clippers win series, 4–2
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Scott Foster, Bill Kennedy, Sean Corbin

Kawhi Leonard is the first player since 2000 to have 30+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists and 5+ steals in a playoff game.

This was the first playoff meeting between the Clippers and the Mavericks.[24]

(3) Denver Nuggets vs. (6) Utah Jazz

August 17
1:30pm
Utah Jazz 125, Denver Nuggets 135 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 25–31, 27–28, 31–19, 32–37Overtime: 10–20
Pts: Donovan Mitchell 57
Rebs: Bradley, Mitchell 9 each
Asts: Donovan Mitchell 7
Pts: Jamal Murray 36
Rebs: Nikola Jokić 10
Asts: Jamal Murray 9
Denver leads series, 1–0
HP Field House, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Scott Foster, Sean Wright, Curtis Blair

Donovan Mitchell's 57 points is the third most points scored in a single playoff game.

August 19
4:00pm
Utah Jazz 124, Denver Nuggets 105
Scoring by quarter: 27–25, 34–23, 43–29, 20–28
Pts: Donovan Mitchell 30
Rebs: Bradley, Gobert, O'Neale 7 each
Asts: Mitchell, O'Neale 8 each
Pts: Jokić, Porter Jr. 28 each
Rebs: Nikola Jokić 11
Asts: Nikola Jokić 6
Series tied, 1–1
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Zach Zarba, Pat Fraher, Michael Smith
August 21
4:00pm
Denver Nuggets 87, Utah Jazz 124
Scoring by quarter: 14–25, 28–34, 20–35, 25–30
Pts: Nikola Jokić 15
Rebs: Plumlee, Dozier 6 each
Asts: Jokić, Murray 6 each
Pts: Mike Conley Jr. 27
Rebs: Rudy Gobert 14
Asts: Joe Ingles 8
Utah leads series, 2–1
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Kane Fitzgerald, Eric Lewis, Tyler Ford
August 23
9:00pm
Denver Nuggets 127, Utah Jazz 129
Scoring by quarter: 36–33, 29–31, 24–33, 38–32
Pts: Jamal Murray 50
Rebs: Jamal Murray 11
Asts: Jamal Murray 7
Pts: Donovan Mitchell 51
Rebs: Rudy Gobert 11
Asts: Donovan Mitchell 7
Utah leads series, 3–1
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: John Goble, Sean Corbin, Brian Forte

This is the first playoff game in NBA history in which two players scored 50 points.

August 25
6:30pm
Utah Jazz 107, Denver Nuggets 117
Scoring by quarter: 32–33, 31–21, 23–28, 21–35
Pts: Donovan Mitchell 30
Rebs: Rudy Gobert 12
Asts: Conley Jr., Mitchell 5 each
Pts: Jamal Murray 42
Rebs: Jamal Murray 8
Asts: Jamal Murray 8
Utah leads series, 3–2
HP Field House, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Scott Foster, Tony Brown, James Williams
August 30
8:30pm
Denver Nuggets 119, Utah Jazz 107
Scoring by quarter: 30–36, 31–20, 27–23, 31–28
Pts: Jamal Murray 50
Rebs: Michael Porter Jr. 12
Asts: Nikola Jokić 9
Pts: Donovan Mitchell 44
Rebs: Rudy Gobert 11
Asts: Mike Conley Jr. 6
Series tied, 3–3
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Zach Zarba, Sean Wright, Courtney Kirkland
September 1
8:30pm
Utah Jazz 78, Denver Nuggets 80
Scoring by quarter: 21–26, 15–24, 24–15, 18–15
Pts: Donovan Mitchell 22
Rebs: Rudy Gobert 18
Asts: Mike Conley Jr. 7
Pts: Nikola Jokić 30
Rebs: Nikola Jokić 14
Asts: Monté Morris 5
Denver wins series, 4–3
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: James Capers, David Guthrie, Bill Kennedy

Denver became the 12th team in NBA history to come back from a 3–1 deficit. Nikola Jokić scored the go-ahead hook shot with 27.8 seconds remaining in regulation. Mike Conley Jr.'s potential series-winning three-pointer at the buzzer rimmed out.

This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Jazz winning three of the first four meetings.[25]

(4) Houston Rockets vs. (5) Oklahoma City Thunder

August 18
6:30pm
Oklahoma City Thunder 108, Houston Rockets 123
Scoring by quarter: 20–28, 32–40, 31–36, 25–19
Pts: Danilo Gallinari 29
Rebs: Steven Adams 12
Asts: Chris Paul 9
Pts: James Harden 37
Rebs: James Harden 11
Asts: Danuel House 5
Houston leads series, 1–0
HP Field House, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: James Capers, Josh Tiven, Derrick Collins
August 20
3:30pm
Oklahoma City Thunder 98, Houston Rockets 111
Scoring by quarter: 30–35, 29–18, 19–24, 20–34
Pts: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 31
Rebs: Steven Adams 11
Asts: Dennis Schröder 5
Pts: James Harden 21
Rebs: Danuel House 9
Asts: James Harden 9
Houston leads series, 2–0
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Marc Davis, Kevin Scott, Gediminas Petraitis
August 22
6:00pm
Houston Rockets 107, Oklahoma City Thunder 119 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 29–23, 34–34, 19–21, 22–26Overtime: 3–15
Pts: James Harden 38
Rebs: Danuel House 10
Asts: James Harden 8
Pts: Dennis Schröder 29
Rebs: Steven Adams 13
Asts: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 6
Houston leads series, 2–1
HP Field House, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: David Guthrie, Ed Malloy, Leon Wood
August 24
4:00pm
Houston Rockets 114, Oklahoma City Thunder 117
Scoring by quarter: 37–35, 23–25, 33–32, 21–25
Pts: James Harden 32
Rebs: P. J. Tucker 11
Asts: James Harden 15
Pts: Dennis Schröder 30
Rebs: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 12
Asts: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 6
Series tied, 2–2
August 29
6:30pm
Oklahoma City Thunder 80, Houston Rockets 114
Scoring by quarter: 14–24, 31–24, 18–37, 17–29
Pts: Dennis Schröder 19
Rebs: Steven Adams 14
Asts: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 4
Pts: James Harden 31
Rebs: Jeff Green 10
Asts: Russell Westbrook 7
Houston leads series, 3–2
HP Field House, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: James Capers, Eric Lewis, Rodney Mott

Game 5 was postponed by the league following a boycott by the Rockets and Thunder.[26]

August 31
9:00pm
Houston Rockets 100, Oklahoma City Thunder 104
Scoring by quarter: 25–24, 26–24, 24–29, 25–27
Pts: James Harden 32
Rebs: P. J. Tucker 11
Asts: James Harden 7
Pts: Chris Paul 28
Rebs: Steven Adams 14
Asts: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 6
Series tied, 3–3
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Marc Davis, Josh Tiven, Kevin Scott
September 2
9:00pm
Oklahoma City Thunder 102, Houston Rockets 104
Scoring by quarter: 30–29, 29–32, 21–24, 22–19
Pts: Luguentz Dort 30
Rebs: Chris Paul 11
Asts: Chris Paul 12
Pts: Covington, Gordon 21 each
Rebs: Robert Covington 10
Asts: James Harden 9
Houston wins series, 4–3
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Scott Foster, Pat Fraher, Tony Brown

This was the ninth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Thunder/SuperSonics winning six of the first eight meetings.[27]

Conference Semifinals

Note: All times are EDT (UTC−4) as listed by the NBA. All games will be played behind closed doors at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Walt Disney World.

Eastern Conference Semifinals

(1) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (5) Miami Heat

August 31
6:30pm
Miami Heat 115, Milwaukee Bucks 104
Scoring by quarter: 29–40, 31–23, 32–23, 23–18
Pts: Jimmy Butler 40
Rebs: Bam Adebayo 17
Asts: Bam Adebayo 6
Pts: Khris Middleton 28
Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 10
Asts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 9
Miami leads series, 1–0
HP Field House, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Kane Fitzgerald, Eric Lewis, Rodney Mott
September 2
6:30pm
Miami Heat 116, Milwaukee Bucks 114
Scoring by quarter: 38–29, 28–31, 24–26, 26–28
Pts: Goran Dragić 23
Rebs: Bam Adebayo 9
Asts: Jimmy Butler 6
Pts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 29
Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 14
Asts: Khris Middleton 8
Miami leads series, 2–0
HP Field House, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Marc Davis, Sean Wright, Kevin Scott

After being fouled by Giannis Antetokounmpo on a game-winning shot attempt as time expired in regulation, Jimmy Butler won the game for Miami with a pair of walk-off free throws. This marks the first time a playoff game has ended in such a fashion since Game 1 of the 1979 NBA Finals.[28]

September 4
6:30pm
Milwaukee Bucks 100, Miami Heat 115
Scoring by quarter: 30–29, 27–21, 30–25, 13–40
Pts: Brook Lopez 22
Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 16
Asts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 9
Pts: Jimmy Butler 30
Rebs: Bam Adebayo 16
Asts: Jimmy Butler 6
Miami leads series, 3–0
HP Field House, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Scott Foster, David Guthrie, Sean Corbin

This is the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Heat winning the previous meeting.[29]

(2) Toronto Raptors vs. (3) Boston Celtics

August 30
1:00pm
Boston Celtics 112, Toronto Raptors 94
Scoring by quarter: 39–23, 20–19, 29–31, 24–21
Pts: Smart, Tatum 21 each
Rebs: Daniel Theis 15
Asts: Kemba Walker 10
Pts: Kyle Lowry 17
Rebs: Serge Ibaka 9
Asts: Lowry, VanVleet 8 each
Boston leads series, 1–0
HP Field House, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: John Goble, Ed Malloy, James Williams

Both teams discussed a boycott of Game 1, similar to the Milwaukee Bucks, in protest due to the shooting of Jacob Blake. The game was eventually postponed.

September 1
5:30pm
Boston Celtics 102, Toronto Raptors 99
Scoring by quarter: 28–28, 22–20, 20–30, 32–21
Pts: Jayson Tatum 34
Rebs: Daniel Theis 9
Asts: Jayson Tatum 6
Pts: OG Anunoby 20
Rebs: Serge Ibaka 9
Asts: Lowry, VanVleet 7 each
Boston leads series, 2–0
September 3
6:30pm
Toronto Raptors 104, Boston Celtics 103
Scoring by quarter: 28–33, 19–24, 29–23, 28–23
Pts: Kyle Lowry 31
Rebs: OG Anunoby 10
Asts: Kyle Lowry 8
Pts: Kemba Walker 29
Rebs: Jaylen Brown 12
Asts: Jayson Tatum 6
Boston leads series, 2–1
HP Field House, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: James Capers, Josh Tiven, Rodney Mott

With 0.5 seconds on the clock and Toronto trailing by 2, Kyle Lowry threw a cross-court inbounds pass to OG Anunoby, who made a 3-point shot as the buzzer sounded to win the game for Toronto.

September 5
6:30pm
Toronto Raptors 100, Boston Celtics 93
Scoring by quarter: 31–27, 18–22, 32–24, 19–20
Pts: Pascal Siakam 23
Rebs: Lowry, Siakam 11 each
Asts: Kyle Lowry 7
Pts: Jayson Tatum 24
Rebs: Jayson Tatum 10
Asts: Kemba Walker 8
Series tied, 2–2
HP Field House, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Marc Davis, Bill Kennedy, Kevin Scott
September 11
6:30pm
Boston Celtics vs. Toronto Raptors*
TBD

This is the first playoff meeting between the Raptors and the Celtics.[30]

Western Conference Semifinals

(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (4) Houston Rockets

September 4
9:00pm
Houston Rockets 112, Los Angeles Lakers 97
Scoring by quarter: 29–28, 34–27, 22–24, 27–18
Pts: James Harden 36
Rebs: Tucker, Westbrook 9 each
Asts: Russell Westbrook 6
Pts: Anthony Davis 25
Rebs: Anthony Davis 14
Asts: LeBron James 7
Houston leads series, 1–0
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Kane Fitzgerald, Sean Wright, Ben Taylor
September 6
8:30pm
Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Scott Foster, Josh Tiven, Curtis Blair
September 12
TBD
Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers*
TBD
September 14
TBD
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets*
TBD
September 16
TBD
Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers*
TBD

This is the ninth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning five of the first eight meetings.[31]

(2) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (3) Denver Nuggets

September 3
9:00pm
Denver Nuggets 97, Los Angeles Clippers 120
Scoring by quarter: 31–31, 20–38, 16–22, 30–29
Pts: Nikola Jokić 15
Rebs: Paul Millsap 9
Asts: Jamal Murray 6
Pts: Kawhi Leonard 29
Rebs: three players 7 each
Asts: George, Williams 4 each
LA Clippers lead series, 1–0
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: Zach Zarba, Eric Lewis, James Williams
September 5
9:00pm
Denver Nuggets 110, Los Angeles Clippers 101
Scoring by quarter: 44–25, 28–31, 17–21, 21–24
Pts: Jamal Murray 27
Rebs: Nikola Jokić 18
Asts: Jamal Murray 6
Pts: Paul George 22
Rebs: Leonard, Green 10 each
Asts: Leonard, Williams 7 each
Series tied, 1–1
The Arena, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: James Capers, Pat Fraher, Tre Maddox

This is the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Clippers winning the previous meeting.[32]

Statistical leaders

Category Game High Average
Player Team High Player Team Avg. GP
Points Donovan Mitchell Utah Jazz 57 Donovan Mitchell Utah Jazz 36.3 7
Rebounds Giannis Antetokounmpo Milwaukee Bucks 20 Giannis Antetokounmpo Milwaukee Bucks 15.0 8
Assists LeBron James Los Angeles Lakers 16 Malcolm Brogdon Indiana Pacers 10.0 4
Steals Fred VanVleet Toronto Raptors 6 Robert Covington Houston Rockets 2.6 8
Blocks Hassan Whiteside
Myles Turner
Portland Trail Blazers
Indiana Pacers
5 Myles Turner Indiana Pacers 4.0 4

Activism

On August 26, in protest of the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, the Milwaukee Bucks went on strike during their first-round game five matchup against the Orlando Magic. The team decided not to come out of their locker room, while the Magic did take the court for warm-ups. The Magic would eventually leave the court minutes before the scheduled start to the game. The NBA later announced that all games for the day would be postponed, including both the Houston Rockets-Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers-Portland Trail Blazers game five matchups.[33] LeBron James emphasized that this was a boycott.[22] His Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers voted to end the season immediately, while the other teams preferred to continue.[34]

In support of the players who striked the games, NBA referees staged a march on August 27 in the Orlando NBA Bubble to protest systemic racism and police brutality.[35]

Media coverage

Television

ESPN, ABC, TNT, and NBA TV broadcast the playoffs nationally in the United States. During the first two rounds, games are split between TNT, ESPN, and ABC regardless of conference. NBA TV also televised selected games in the first round. Regional sports networks affiliated with the teams also broadcast the games, except for games televised on ABC. The NBA Western Conference Finals will air on TNT, while ESPN will televise the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. ABC owns the exclusive television rights to the 2020 NBA Finals, which would be the 18th consecutive year for the network.[36]

In Canada, the home market of the Toronto Raptors, national broadcast rights are split approximately equally between the Sportsnet and TSN groups of channels. Separate Canadian broadcasts are produced for all games involving the Raptors regardless of round or U.S. broadcaster.

References

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  3. ^ "NBPA reps vote to approve 22-team format to finish season". Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  4. ^ "How the Blazers, Grizzlies, Spurs and Suns make the West play-in". ESPN. August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  5. ^ Helin, Kurt (August 26, 2020). "Milwaukee Bucks players make statement on boycott". Yahoo.com. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Zillgitt, Jeff (March 12, 2020). "What's next for NBA, teams, players during coronavirus hiatus?". USA Today. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
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  16. ^ https://www.nba.com/article/2020/08/26/milwaukee-bucks-orlando-magic-game-5-delayed
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  25. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus Utah Jazz (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
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  28. ^ Woodyard, Eric (September 2, 2020). "Butler's walk-off FTs cap wild finish against Bucks". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
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  30. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Toronto Raptors versus Boston Celtics (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  31. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Houston Rockets (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  32. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Clippers versus Denver Nuggets (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  33. ^ "Three Game 5s set for Wednesday postponed after Bucks' decision to not take floor". ESPN. August 26, 2020.
  34. ^ "Lakers, Clippers Voted Not to Finish Season After Jacob Blake Shooting". Bleacher Report. August 26, 2020.
  35. ^ Roscher, Liz (August 27, 2020). "NBA referees stage march in Orlando bubble against racism". Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  36. ^ "2020 NBA Playoffs Schedule". Sportsmediawatch.com. Retrieved August 16, 2020.