NBA games today: Full TV schedule for 2020 season restart on TNT, ESPN & more channels

Tadd Haislop

NBA games today: Full TV schedule for 2020 season restart on TNT, ESPN & more channels image

The NBA's official restart of its 2019-20 season in the Orlando bubble is Thursday night with a doubleheader featuring Pelicans vs. Jazz and Lakers vs. Clippers, but Friday's slate of NBA games is the first of what will be 15 straight days of nonstop basketball.

Each of the 22 teams that were invited to resume the NBA season after four-plus months away from the court is scheduled to play eight seeding games before the playoffs begin in mid-August. That means the NBA had to pack up to six games per day over the span of a couple weeks — a beautiful sight for basketball fans.

MORE: Watch select NBA games live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)

National TV broadcasts of the NBA games from the Orlando bubble will be shown by four different networks — ABC, ESPN, TNT, NBATV — and Friday's schedule features the first of a handful of ESPN doubleheaders. And those who have access to NBATV as well as ESPN will be treated to a national TV tripleheader Friday.

Here is a complete TV schedule for the first two nights of NBA games during the 2020 season restart, including start times and channels for Thursday and Friday's national broadcasts.

NBA games today

TNT landed the high-profile Western Conference matchup of Lakers vs. Clippers on Thursday night, but ESPN gets Celtics vs. Bucks as an Eastern Conference showcase to kick off its Friday doubleheader. Rockets vs. Mavericks will be a nice night cap for the network.

Friday, July 31

Game Time (ET) National TV
Magic vs. Nets 2:30 p.m.
Grizzlies vs. Trail Blazers 4 p.m. NBA TV, fuboTV
Suns vs. Wizards 4 p.m.
Celtics vs. Bucks 6:30 p.m. ESPN
Kings vs. Spurs 8 p.m.
Rockets vs. Mavericks 9 p.m. ESPN

How to watch, live stream NBA games

ESPN and TNT are available from almost all United States cable providers, but NBATV is only offered by Verizon (channels 89 and 589) and Comcast (channels 734 and 478).

For those who have ESPN and TNT included in their cable/satellite subscriptions, live stream presentations of those networks' NBA games can be found on the ESPN app and the Watch TNT app, respectively.

For those who don't have a cable or satellite subscription, there are four major OTT TV streaming options that carry both ESPN and TNT — Sling, Hulu, YouTubeTV and AT&T Now. Of the four, Hulu and YouTubeTV offer free trial options.

Below are links to each.

Of the four services, Hulu is the only one that does not carry NBATV. FuboTV carries NBATV but not ESPN or TNT.

All NBA seeding games played in Orlando also will be available to steam via NBA League Pass at a reduced price ($28.99) since there are so few games left in the season. However, games on NBA League Pass are blacked out in local markets.

NBA schedule 2020

The full 2020 NBA regular-season schedule, including tip-off times and TV channels, is listed below by date.

Times and TV channels for the final two days of seeding games have not yet been revealed.

July 30

Game Time (ET) National TV
Jazz vs. Pelicans 6:30 p.m. TNT
Clippers vs. Lakers 9 p.m. TNT

July 31

Game Time (ET) National TV
Magic vs. Nets 2:30 p.m.
Grizzlies vs. Trail Blazers 4 p.m. NBA TV
Suns vs. Wizards 4 p.m.
Celtics vs. Bucks 6:30 p.m. ESPN
Kings vs. Spurs 8 p.m.
Rockets vs. Mavericks 9 p.m. ESPN

Aug. 1 

Game Time (ET) National TV
Heat vs. Nuggets 1 p.m. ESPN
Jazz vs. Thunder 3:30 p.m. ESPN
Pelicans vs. Clippers 6 p.m. ESPN
76ers vs. Pacers 7 p.m.
Lakers vs. Raptors 8:30 p.m. ESPN

Aug. 2

Game Time (ET) National TV
Wizards vs. Nets 2 p.m.
Trail Blazers vs. Celtics 3:30 p.m. ABC
Spurs vs. Grizzlies 4 p.m.
Kings vs. Magic 6 p.m. NBA TV
Bucks vs. Rockets 8:30 p.m. ABC
Mavericks vs. Suns 9 p.m.

Aug. 3

Game Time (ET) National TV
Raptors vs. Heat 1:30 p.m. NBA TV
Nuggets vs. Thunder 4 p.m. NBA TV
Pacers vs. Wizards 4 p.m.
Grizzlies vs. Pelicans 6:30 p.m. ESPN
Spurs vs. 76ers 8 p.m.
Lakers vs. Jazz 9 p.m. ESPN

Aug. 4

Game Time (ET) National TV
Nets vs. Bucks 1:30 p.m. NBA TV
Mavericks vs. Kings 2:30 p.m.
Suns vs. Clippers 4 p.m. NBA TV
Magic vs. Pacers 6 p.m.
Celtics vs. Heat 6:30 p.m. TNT
Rockets vs. Trail Blazers 9 p.m. TNT

Aug. 5

Game Time (ET) National TV
Grizzlies vs. Jazz 2:30 p.m.
76ers vs. Wizards 4 p.m. NBA TV
Nuggets vs. Spurs 4 p.m.
Thunder vs. Lakers 6:30 p.m. ESPN
Raptors vs. Magic 8 p.m.
Nets vs. Celtics 9 p.m. ESPN

Aug. 6

Game Time (ET) National TV
Pelicans vs. Kings 1:30 p.m. NBA TV
Heat vs. Bucks 4 p.m. TNT
Pacers vs. Suns 4 p.m.
Clippers vs. Mavericks 6:30 p.m. TNT
Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets 8 p.m.
Lakers vs. Rockets 9 p.m. TNT

Aug. 7

Game Time (ET) National TV
Jazz vs. Spurs 1 p.m.
Thunder vs. Grizzlies 4 p.m. NBA TV
Kings vs. Nets 5 p.m.
Magic vs. 76ers 6:30 p.m. TNT
Wizards vs. Pelicans 8 p.m.
Celtics vs. Raptors 9 p.m. TNT

Aug. 8

Game Time (ET) National TV
Clippers vs. Trail Blazers 1 p.m. TNT
Jazz vs. Nuggets 3:30 p.m. TNT
Lakers vs. Pacers 6 p.m. TNT
Suns vs. Heat 7:30 p.m.
Bucks vs. Mavericks 8:30 p.m. ESPN

Aug. 9

Game Time (ET) National TV
Wizards vs. Thunder 12:30 p.m.
Grizzlies vs. Raptors 2 p.m.
Spurs vs. Pelicans 3 p.m. ABC
Magic vs. Celtics 5 p.m.
76ers vs. Trail Blazers 6:30 p.m. NBA TV
Rockets vs. Kings 8 p.m.
Nets vs. Clippers 9 p.m. NBA TV

Aug. 10

Game Time (ET) National TV
Thunder vs. Suns 2:30 p.m.
Mavericks vs. Jazz 3 p.m. NBA TV
Raptors vs. Bucks 6:30 p.m. ESPN
Pacers vs. Heat 8 p.m.
Nuggets vs. Lakers 9 p.m. TNT

Aug. 11

Game Time (ET) National TV
Nets vs. Magic 1 p.m.
Rockets vs. Spurs 2 p.m. NBA TV
Suns vs. 76ers 4:30 p.m.
Trail Blazers vs. Mavericks 5 p.m.
Celtics vs. Grizzlies 6:30 p.m. TNT
Pelicans vs. Kings 9 p.m. TNT
Bucks vs. Wizards 9 p.m.

Aug. 12

Game Time (ET) National TV
Pacers vs. Rockets 4 p.m. NBA TV
Raptors vs. 76ers 6:30 p.m. ESPN
Heat vs. Thunder 8 p.m.
Clippers vs. Nuggets 9 p.m. ESPN

Aug. 13

Game Time (ET)  National TV
Wizards vs. Celtics TBD TBD
Trail Blazers vs. Nets TBD TBD
Kings vs. Lakers TBD TBD
Bucks vs. Grizzlies TBD TBD
Pelicans vs. Magic TBD TBD
Mavericks vs. Suns TBD TBD
Spurs vs. Jazz TBD TBD

Aug. 14

Game Time (ET)  National TV
76ers vs. Rockets TBD TBD
Heat vs. Pacers TBD TBD
Thunder vs. Clippers TBD TBD
Nuggets vs. Raptors TBD TBD

Tadd Haislop

Tadd Haislop is the Associate NFL Editor at SportingNews.com.