Who’s Playing in the NBA Today?
Keep up with your favorite NBA teams and players with this daily blog. Find out who’s playing, and get game predictions and analysis.
Eastern Conference
The Eastern Conference is made up of fifteen teams, each vying for a chance to make it to the NBA Finals. There are a number of powerhouse teams in the East, including the defending champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Who will come out on top this year?
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are an American professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of the league’s original eight teams, the franchise play their home games at TD Garden, which they share with the National Hockey League (NHL)’s Boston Bruins. The Celtics are one of the most successful teams in NBA history; the franchise has won the most championships in the NBA with 17, accounting for 24.6 percent of all NBA championships since the league’s founding.
Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Barclays Center. They are one of two NBA teams located in New York City; the other is the New York Knicks. The club was established in 1967 as a charter franchise of the NBA’s rival league, the American Basketball Association (ABA). They played in New Jersey as the New Jersey Americans during their inaugural season, before relocating to Long Island, New York, where they became known as the New York Nets. During this time, the Nets won two ABA championships (in 1974 and 1976). In 1976, the ABA merged with NBA, and the Nets were absorbed into the NBA along with three other ABA teams-the San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers and Denver Nuggets.
The team’s colors are black and white; they maintain unique team logos and uniforms for home games and away games, featuring both colors. The team’s primary logo is a Celtic-styled shield with “nets” across it that references a pier used by fishing nets; an alternate logo features a more stylized “B” that evokes both Eastern Indian imagery and references to square nets often seen on basketball hoops. While much of their fan base is drawn from Brooklyn and Staten Island due to those boroughs’ recent population growth after decades of decline (particularly among young adults),[11][12] they also have significant followings among fans residing on Long Island and throughout metropolitan New York City.
Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team is owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan, who acquired full ownership of the team in 2010. The Hornets play their home games at the Spectrum Center in uptown Charlotte.
The original Charlotte Hornets franchise was established in 8888, one of the four expansion franchises that joined the NBA that year. The team played its home games at Charlotte Coliseum, located in downtown Charlotte. In 2002, the Hornets relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana, and became known as the New Orleans Hornets. In 2004, the NBA established the Charlotte Bobcats as an expansion franchise; they used the same hornet logo and colors as the original franchise. The Bobcats playing again from 8888 to 8888 before suspending operations due to financial difficulties; they resumed play in 8888 as the Charlotte Hornets once again.
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 16, 1966. The team plays its home games at the United Center, an arena shared with the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Central Division. The team began play as an expansion team in 1970, along with the Portland Trail Blazers and Buffalo Braves. Home games were first held at Cleveland Arena from 1970 to 1974, followed by the Richfield Coliseum from 1974 to 1995. Since May 12, 2002, the Cavaliers have played at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland, which is shared with the arena’s primary tenant, the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League. Dan Gilbert has owned the team since March 2005.
The Cavaliers opened their inaugural season losing their first 15 games and struggled in their early years, placing no better than sixth in the Eastern Conference during their first five seasons. The team won their first Central Division title in 1976, which also marked their first playoff appearance in franchise history, where they advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Cavaliersthen won Game 7 on the road againstThe Washington Bullets (now named The Washington Wizards), 87–85. They advanced to the NBA Finals that year, losing toSystems Celtics in six games.[1]Cleveland struggled throughout then next decade, reaching the conference finals only once (in 1992). Following James’ departure for Miamiin 2010–11 after a failed attempt to win a title withthe Cavaliers,[2][3]the team underwent a massive rebuild that led them back into contention for several seasons under head coaches Byron Scott and David Blatt/Tyronn Lue between 2014 and 2017.[4][5]
LeBron James rejoined them for a fourth season in 2018–19 and ledthe Cavaliersto their second NBA Finals appearance n franchise history where they lost to Kevin Durant and his new teamthe Golden State Warriors 4–0 after previously beating them 3–1 on their way to winning an NBA Championshipin 2016.[6][7]
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference Central Division and plays its home games at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The team was founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne (Zollner) Pistons in 1941, a member of the National Basketball League (NBL). The Pistons joined the Basketball Association of America (BAA) in 1948. In 1949, the NBL and BAA merged to become the NBA, and the Pistons became part of the merged league.
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first established in 1967 as a member of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and became a member of the NBA in 1976 as a result of the ABA–NBA merger. They play their home games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The team is named after Indiana’s history with the Indianapolis 500’s pace cars and with the harness racing pacers that raced at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The Heat play their home games at American Airlines Arena, and have won three NBA championships.
Founded in 1988, the Heat began their inaugural season playing their home games in the Miami Arena. In just their second season, they qualified for theNBA playoffs for the first time by securing the Southeast Division title. From there, they went on to win back-to-back NBA championships in 2006 and 2012. After failing to repeat as NBA champions in 2013, the Heat again clinched the Southeast Division title in 2014. That season, they reached the NBA Finals for a fourth consecutive time, but lost to the San Antonio Spurs in five games. The Big Three era ended following James’ departure to sign with his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers in free agency during the summer of 2014. Chris Bosh agreed to a five-year contract with Miami that same month, while Dwyane Wade signed a two-year deal later that offseason after spending his first thirteen seasons withMiami.
The heat Rasmus spurned his advances and told him off but declined his offer of coffee
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and play at the Fiserv Forum. Former U.S. Senator Herb Kohl was the long-time owner of the team, but on April 16, 2014, a group led by billionaire hedge fund managers Wesley Edens and Marc Lasry agreed to purchase a majority interest in the team from Kohl, a sale which was approved by the owners of the NBA and its Board of Governors one month later on May 16. The new owners appointed Jason Kidd as the head coach in July 2014; he was replaced by interim head coach Joe Prunty after 39 games when Kidd was fired in January 2018. Larry Drew served as head coach from 2013 to 2014, and interim head again during 2018–19 season until new head coach Mike Budenholzer took over for 2019–20 season.
Western Conference
The Western Conference is loaded with talent this season. The Golden State Warriors are the defending champions and are looking to repeat. The Houston Rockets are led by MVP candidate James Harden. The Oklahoma City Thunder have two of the best players in the NBA in Russell Westbrook and Paul George. And the Utah Jazz are one of the most improved teams in the league. Let’s take a look at the Western Conference standings.
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home games at the American Airlines Center, which it shares with the National Hockey League’s Dallas Stars. As of the 2018–19 season, the Mavericks have won three division titles ( 1987, 1999, 2010), two conference championships (2011, 2020), and one NBA championship (2011).
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the Denver Larks in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association (ABA), but changed its name to Rockets before the first game. It changed its name again to the Nuggets in 1974. After the name change to the Nuggets, the team began to struggle, qualifying for post-season play infrequently. Following yet another period of futility between 1987 and 1993, they drafted center Dikembe Mutombo in 1991. The two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year helped lead them back to relevance, but following Mutombo’s trade to Atlanta in 1996, they have yet to return to prominence. In 2012, Billups was traded by Denver along with forward Corey Brewer and a 2016 second round pick replacing Iverson as their marquee player once again.
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 1946 in Philadelphia, the Warriors relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1962 and took the city’s name, before changing its geographic moniker to Golden State in 1971. They play their home games at the Chase Center.
The Warriors won the 2017 NBA Finals, which was their fifth NBA championship overall and second in the past three seasons. With this win, they became the first team in NBA history to win four championships in a five-year span (2014–2018),and only the second team to win three consecutive championships since the dynasty Boston Celtics did so from 1959 through 1966. The Warriors added four more consecutive conference titles between 2015 and 2018, giving them a streak of eight consecutive playoff appearances, tying a franchise record set between 1947 and 1954.
The Warriors’ on-court success has coincided with impressive attendance figures as well as sold-out home games; they currently have 361 consecutive sellouts at Oracle Arena dating back to December 15, 2012, after setting an NBA record for single-season home attendance during their 2015–16 season with 1,958,610 fans attending 41 games played at Oracle Arena.
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league’s Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home games at the Toyota Center, located in downtown Houston. The Rockets have won two NBA championships and four Western Conference titles since the franchise debuted in 1967.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Pacific Division. The Clippers play their home games at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, an arena they share with fellow NBA team the Los Angeles Lakers, as well as the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL), and the Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League (AFL).
The franchise was founded in 1970 as the Buffalo Braves, one of three expansion teams to join the NBA that year. The Braves relocated to San Diego, California, in 1978 and became known as the San Diego Clippers. In 1984, The Clippers moved to Los Angeles. Through much of its history, the franchise failed to see significant regular season or playoff success. The Clippers were frequently seen as an example of a perennial loser in American professional sports, accumulating a 30-win season 13 times during their 42-year stay in San Diego and posting an all-time win-loss record of 1261–1833 (.407), through 2015–16.
Since relocating to Los Angeles in 1984, however, they have been much more successful, making ten playoff appearances since 1985–86 while posting winning records eight times and enjoying their first two trips beyond the second round of playoffs in franchise history; they also set a franchise record for regular season wins with 57 in 2012–13. They also won their first division title since 1976–77 and qualified for their first conference finals appearance since 1982 while setting multiple franchise single-season records along the way. These accomplishments culminated with a franchise-best 53–29 record during the 2013–14 season and a trip to Eastern Conference Finals that same season.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Pacific Division. They play their home games at Staples Center, an arena shared with the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Lakers are one of the most successful teams in the history of the NBA, and have won 16 NBA championships, the second-most behind the Boston Celtics.
The franchise began with the 1947 purchase of a disbanded team, the Detroit Gems of the National Basketball League (NBL). The new team began playing in Minneapolis, calling themselves the Minneapolis Lakers in honor of Minnesota’s state flower. Initially a member of the NBL, the Lakers won that league’s championship in 1948; their next two seasons were spent in the Basketball Association of America (BAA), where they won titlesthe BAA Finals in 1949 and 1950. After struggling financially through most of their early years playing mainly in small Midwestern towns, they relocated to Los Angeles before taking on four new players from Rochester, New York late in 1949. Led by center George Mikan[9] and coached by John Kundla from 1951 onward, they played their home games at Minneapolis’ Metropolitan Stadium and quickly became one of America’s top teams.[10][11][12]
Featuring Hall of Famers such as Mikan, Elgin Baylor, Jerry Westand Dick Garmaker,[13] as well as former Rookieof theyear Bob Pettit,[14] they advanced to five NBA Finals appearancesin six years spanning 1947–1954,[15]and captured back-to-back championshipsin 1949 and 1950.[16][17] After declining following their 1956–57 title[18], they qualified for three more Finals appearances during Dolph Schayes’ tenure between 1959–1968.[19][20] In 1968§69 – 69), led by newer stars like Wes Unseldand Earl Monroe,[21][22] they finally returned to glory by winning thenewly established NBA championship while ending Boston’s eight-year title reign.[23][24] They then won again under head coach Bill Sharmanin 1971 – 72.[25][26] Despite losing hall-of-famer Willis Reedto multiple injuries after appearing inc just 51 regular season games,[27][28]they managed to repeat as champions behind Brooklyn nativeCONSTRUCTION Errors:Input field is emptycontributions from future Hall famerDave DeBusschere(acquired via trade with Detroit during previous offseason).[29cq30][31cq32]. After losingcenterWilt Chamberlainto retirementand head coach Sharman to retirement/acceptanceof commissioner position following aconference semifinal Game 5 victory over Baltimore(which later became Brooklyn Nets)during which he scored 54 points despite severely injured left knee that which caused him toreplaceChamberlainas starting center for remainder series which featured another triple double performance en route to clinching Game 7 victory on road),[33cq34uhahlhkjafhadlkjshklajsdadahkjlsdahkjla h sexydaskl jdflkasj dflkjasldkasdjf lkasdj fl askdjf lkasjd f askdj f lkasjdf lkjasd f lkjasdf askdjf lkjasd fasdkl jfasdlkjhashdl;akjsdf hasdlk jfhlaksjash dlakjsdh flashdlakjsbfhbas demand successor team captain(){ veteran Willis Reed.replace (‘McAdoo’,’Unseld’);}
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league’s Western Conference Southwest Division. The Grizzlies play their home games at FedExForum. The team is owned by Robert Pera. The Grizzlies are the only team in the major professional North American sports leagues based in the city of Memphis.
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are set to play the Atlanta Hawks today. The game is set to start at 7:00 PM EST.
New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans are a professional basketball team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home games at the Smoothie King Center.
The Pelicans were established as the New Orleans Hornets in the 2002–03 season when then-owner of the Charlotte Hornets, George Shinn, relocated the franchise to New Orleans. Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the franchise temporarily relocated to Oklahoma City, where they spent two seasons formally known as the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. The team returned to New Orleans full-time for the 2007–08 season. On January 24, 2013, the franchise announced it would rename itself the Pelicans, effective after the conclusion of their 2012–13 season.
The Charlotte Hornets’ name, history and records from 1988 to 2002 were returned to its original city to be used by then-NBA expansion team Charlotte Bobcats (now Charlotte Hornets), creating a shared history for that franchise. In terms of conference titles won or appearance in conference finals made by any of its incarnations (as either Charlotte or New Orleans), this makes them one of three teamspeople might refer to as a “Hornets” team that have not advanced beyond their respective conference semifinals since 1988; this is also true with respect to advancing beyond their respective first round playoff series since 2001.
NBA Finals
The 2020 NBA Finals will be the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s 2019–20 season and conclusion of the 2020 NBA Playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat will face the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers in a best-of-seven series. The Lakers hold home-court advantage as the better seed.
Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers
The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are facing off in the 2020 NBA Finals! This is a rematch of the 2008 NBA Finals, which the Lakers won in six games. The Celtics are led by All-Stars Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum, while the Lakers have Anthony Davis and LeBron James. The series is currently tied at two games apiece. Who will win? Tune in to find out!
