The day is finally here. Tonight will be the long-awaited NBA tip-off to continue the 2019-20 season after the COVID-19 hiatus. Fans have gotten a sneak peek of what’s to come through the scrimmage games, but now every game counts. Two games with major playoff complications begin tonight.<\/p>\n
The New Orleans Pelicans<\/a> will open up the NBA’s restart versus the Utah Jazz<\/a> at 6:30 P.M. EST.<\/p>\n New Orleans is currently 10th in the West, and are trying to push their way into the eighth seed play-in games. Utah, on the other hand, will be in the playoffs but need to focus on seeding. The Denver Nuggets<\/a> are 1.5 games ahead of the Jazz at third, while the Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> and Houston Rockets<\/a> trail the Jazz by just one game.<\/p>\n The Jazz lost one of their stars in Bojan Bogdanovic<\/a> to injury during the hiatus, so they will be short-handed. The Pelicans will finally feature a fully healthy, and loaded roster.<\/p>\n All eyes, of course, will be on Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson<\/a><\/strong>. After missing the scrimmage games due to personal reasons, he should be good to go for the opening NBA tip-off. Williamson does a lot of his damage within the paint, so this game will be a true test for him with star defensive man\u00a0Rudy Gobert<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>defending the basket for the Jazz.<\/p>\n An increased workload will be placed on Jazz star\u00a0Donovan Mitchell<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>due to Bogdanovic’s absence. Mitchell is already the focal point of the team’s offense, but will surely have to take more shots now. His match-up versus the Pelicans’ defensive menace in\u00a0Jrue Holiday<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>will be another one to watch.<\/p>\n It can’t be lost in the Williamson hype that the Pelicans employ an All-Star in\u00a0Brandon Ingram<\/a><\/strong>. Fans got a taste of what this healthy Pelicans line-up looks like before the hiatus, and it was a sight to see. Expect fireworks in the opening game.<\/p>\n The second game of the NBA tip-off opening night features the likely Western Conference Finals match-up.<\/p>\n The Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> are close to having the first overall seed in the West tied up. The Los Angeles Clippers<\/a> are second but aren’t very safe in that position just yet. The Nuggets trail the Clippers by a mere 1.5 games. With that being said, the Clippers are now healthy – something they haven’t been able to say for much of the season.<\/p>\n This game, of course, features four of the game’s biggest superstars in LeBron James<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Anthony Davis<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Kawhi Leonard<\/a><\/strong>, and\u00a0Paul George<\/a><\/strong>. The two Los Angeles teams arguably have the two best duos in the league right now. James versus Leonard also typically calls for a classic duel.<\/p>\n Both teams also feature strong supporting casts. The Lakers have names such as\u00a0Danny Green<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Dwight Howard<\/a><\/strong>, while the Clippers have\u00a0Patrick Beverley<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Montrezl Harrell<\/a><\/strong>, and\u00a0Marcus Morris<\/a><\/strong>. The Clippers also have Sixth Man of the Year candidate\u00a0Lou Williams<\/a><\/strong>, but he will miss the opener due to quarantining.<\/p>\n Expect a real battle. The two teams know they’re major title favorites, and will play with that on the line. This game looks to be the first glimpse of a true “bubble playoff” atmosphere.<\/p>\n Main Photo:Game Two: Lakers versus Clippers<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>