More than half of the round-robin games have been played since the NBA 2019-20 restart. In the Eastern Conference, the playoff teams are set with the Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic completing the 8 teams that qualified for the postseason.

The Nets secured 7th place when they defeated the Sacramento Kings 119-106, putting them 1.5 games ahead of the Orlando Magic. The Washington Wizards lost a match to the New Orleans Pelicans last Friday, dropping them to 10th place in the Eastern Conference, which is 5.5 games behind the Orlando Magic. The Charlotte Hornets, who suddenly found themselves in 9th place, are not part of the 22 teams currently playing in the NBA-Disney bubble in Florida.

There is still a chance that the Miami Heat (4th), Indiana Pacers (5th), and Philadelphia 76ers (6th) will change positions to get a better chance of a deeper run. The same can also be said between the Brooklyn Nets and the Orlando Magic. The eventual 8th placer will play against powerhouse Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs while the 7th placer will play against defending champions Toronto Raptors without Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.

Leonard now plays for the Los Angeles Clippers, who currently hold the second place in the Western Conference.

However, both Brooklyn and Orlando are not looking for a miracle. According to the NBA, the Nets do not have their superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in the bubble. Both players opted out of the season for various reasons. Durant cited health concerns after nursing an injury that he got in last season's NBA finals while playing for the Golden State Warriors and being COVID-19 positive early in the pandemic.

Durant will still get his $1,000,000 (766,665 GBP) bonus due to the Nets making it to the playoffs.

Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac was injured in the game against the Sacramento Kings on August 2nd. He underwent surgery last Friday and will be out indefinitely. Isaac is a solid role player for the Magic, starting 32 games and averaging 12 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, and 1.5 steals a game.

Isaac recently received flak from social justice advocates for not wearing a "Black Lives Matter" shirt during pregame and not kneeling when the U.S. National Anthem is being played.

NBA
The NBA halted the season on March 11, 2020 after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert became the first player to test positive for deadly COVID-19 GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Jeenah Moon