The NBA Championship 2019-20 regular season began on October 22, 2019 and was suspended on March 11, 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The NBA playoffs were originally scheduled to begin on April 18, 2020, and end with the NBA Finals in June 2020.
However, when the suspension was implemented, the teams had played between 63 and 67 games. On June 4, 2020, the NBA Board of Governors approved a plan to restart the season on July 30, 2020, which the National Basketball Players Association approved the following day.
New Format
The season will resume with 22 teams (all teams within six games of a playoff spot) playing eight additional regular season games each to determine playoff seeding, after which 16 teams will enter a conventional post-season tournament.
However, should the ninth seed within either conference finish the regular season within four games of the eighth seed, they will then compete in a best-of-three play-in series (with the eighth seed starting with a de facto 1–0 lead, meaning they would need just one win to advance).
All games for the remainder of the NBA Championship 2019-20 will be played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Walt Disney World.
NBA 2019/20 Revised Schedule
The season is set to resume on Thursday July 30, 2020 when the New Orleans Pelicans meet the Utah Jazz, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The regular season games are scheduled to be completed on Friday August 14, 2020. If necessary, any play-in series will take place between Saturday August 15 and Sunday August 16, 2020.
You can find all the latest live NBA odds for individual matches here.
The playoffs are scheduled to take place between Monday August 17 and Wednesday September 30, 2020. The NBA Championship 2019-20 Finals are scheduled for Wednesday September 30 to Monday October 12, 2020.
NBA Championship 2019-20 State of Play
The Milwaukee Bucks (Eastern) and Los Angeles Lakers (Western) have already claimed their respective Conference regular season titles. In addition, 13 of the 16 postseason playoff berths are also now confirmed.
NBA 2020 Betting Favorites
Los Angeles Lakers +200
The Lakers were just starting to build some momentum when the shutdown struck, having recorded back-to-back wins over the Bucks and the Clippers in March. LeBron James is seeking to win a fourth NBA championship and with time running out on his stellar career, he won’t get too many better opportunities.
The Lakers do have a tough schedule, starting off against the Los Angeles Clippers and going on to face the likes of Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets and the Denver Nuggets.
Milwaukee Bucks +280
Milwaukee had the best record (53-12) when the tournament was suspended, having also had the best regular season record in 2018-19 (60-22).
They also have the best defensive record in the league this season, with a rating of 101.6 and they are beating opponents by an average of 11.3 points per game. Only four teams in NBA history have ever bettered that winning margin and each of those went on to win the NBA championship when doing so.
Marquee Giannis Antetokounmpo is ably assisted by the likes of fellow All-Star Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe, but they did lose three consecutive games prior to the shutdown.
Los Angeles Clippers +300
The suspension of the regular season should benefit the Clippers with regards to the fitness issues that hampered Kawhi Leonard earlier in the season. The Clippers look to have a relatively easy schedule compared to some of their rivals and a strong roster featuring Leonard, Paul George, Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell and the recently acquired Marcus Morris should go far.
Boston Celtics +1200
The Celtics were not expected to be serious contenders following the departures of Kyrie Irving and Al Horford. The addition of Kemba Walker and the improvement in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown has seen them surpass expectations with their small ball though.
The health of Walker is key for their NBA playoff hopes, but this young roster looks like a team for future championships rather than the current one.
Houston Rockets +1400
The enforced shutdown came after the Rockets had lost four of five games, so has given them an opportunity to regroup. The form of James Harden was a particular concern in the last couple of months, as his historic early-season average of 39.0 points per game from early November to early January dipped to 29.0 points in his past 22 games
Harden and Russell Westbrook are the key players for Houston, with support from Eric Gordon, P.J. Tucker, and Clint Capela.
Toronto Raptors +1600
The defending champions look fairly secure in second place in the Eastern Conference on the resumption of the season, which speaks volumes as to their character given the free agency departures of Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green last summer and the numerous injury absences they had to contend with prior to the suspension.
With a healthy roster now at their disposal, the Raptors will believe that a repeat of last season’s historic title win is a definite possibility.
NBA Championship 2019-20 Betting
The Bucks and the Lakers are the favorites to win their respective Conferences in the East and West after the playoffs. You can find NBA odds for each team (from Bovada Sportsbook) listed below.
The betting for the NBA Championship 2019-20 is incredibly close, with nothing much to choose between the Bucks and the Lakers as things stand and with the Clippers only just marginally bigger odds.
There is also plenty of interest in the Raptors, Celtics and Rockets, while the Nuggets, Heat, 76ers, Mavericks and Jazz all have their backers.
NBA Championship Winner
Odds via 
NBA Predictions – Who will win the NBA Championship 2020?
Playing in the Orlando bubble negates the home court advantage and has to have some impact on the outcome of NBA playoff series as a consequence.
With the Lakers and the Clippers up against each other in the West and being too close to call, backing the Milwaukee Bucks (+280 with Bovada Sportsbook) to come through in the East to claim the NBA Championship could prove to be the best 2020 NBA winner bet. The lengthy break also gives them an opportunity to regain the momentum lost just prior to it.
In addition to the Bucks winning the Eastern Conference, the LA Clippers are our NBA pick to win in the West.
If looking for a wager at bigger NBA odds, Miami Heat could be worth an interest in the Eastern Conference. A healthy Jimmy Butler leads the team, with Bam Adebayo providing the magic and Andre Iguodala the experience. The likes of Kendrick Nunn, Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson and Derrick Jones Jr. provide the youth and depth.
Who won the NBA Finals in 2018-19?
Last year, the NBA Championship was the 73rd edition of the NBA Championship and was won by the Toronto Raptors for the first time in the franchise’s history. They beat the Golden State Warriors 4-2 in the NBA Finals.
Vegas-Odds.com Sports Writer
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