NBA Schedule 2021: The NBA enters its second half of the season today. Here are 5 things to watch for during the rest of the 2020-21 season. The NBA returns Wednesday with a pair of games: Washington at Memphis and San Antonio at Dallas. Another 21 teams start their second-half slates on Thursday, and the five remaining teams get back on the court Friday.
The All-Star break, such as it was, is over.
The NBA returns Wednesday with a pair of games: Washington at Memphis and San Antonio at Dallas. Another 21 teams start their second-half slates on Thursday, and the five remaining teams get back on the court Friday.
Here are 10 things to know about what’s happening, what might happen, and what to watch the rest of the way:
NBA Schedule: No more home advantage
Home teams have gone 285-248 this season, a .535 winning percentage. It’s on pace to be the lowest in NBA history.
The record in that department is .551, set last season — and it was trending that way even before the pandemic.
The bubble and playing the final 88 regular-season games without fans had nothing to do with that change; in fact, “home” teams in the bubble won 56% of their games at Walt Disney World.
But this year, teams believe the lack of fans factors into home-court advantage not meaning much. Plus, road teams are getting more rest than usual — they’re often in one city for multiple days to play a pair of games and typically can’t leave their hotels for anything other than basketball.
A look at the NBA’s Earned Jerseys for 2020 playoff teams 🔥
(h/t @NickDePaula) pic.twitter.com/OXJePVdBrv
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 10, 2021
NBA Schedule: Phoenix Suns improving
Phoenix hit the All-Star break with the league’s second-best record at 24-11. It is a major turnaround.
The Suns’ records at the last five All-Star breaks were awful: 22-33 last season, preceded by a league-worst 11-48 in 2018-19, 18-41 (tied for worst in the league) in 2017-18, 18-39 (29th out of 30 teams) in 2016-17 and 14-40 (tied for third-worst) in 2015-16.
The last time the Suns were over .500 at the break had been 2014-15 when they were 29-25. And the last time they were this good by the break was 2007-08 when they were 37-16, with current Brooklyn assistant Mike D’Antoni coaching, current Golden State coach Steve Kerr running the front office, and current Nets head coach Steve Nash playing point guard.
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NBA Schedule: CP3 nears 10,000
He’s 47 assists away from 10,000 in his career, a milestone only five other players — John Stockton, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Mark Jackson, and Magic Johnson — have reached.
This is Paul’s 16th season. The New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets had a losing record in the games that he played over his first two seasons, a difficult time for that franchise following the relocation caused by Hurricane Katrina.
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This will be the 14th consecutive season in which Paul’s team has a winning record when he plays; the Suns are 23-11 with him in the lineup this season.
All five of Paul’s teams over those past 14 seasons — the Hornets, the Los Angeles Clippers, Houston, Oklahoma City, and now Phoenix — have at least a .600 winning percentage in his regular-season appearances. Combined, his teams over those 14 years have won 66.4% of their games when he plays.
NBA Schedule: Worst best
It’s not an easy season for any team, with the games coming very quickly, not a lot of practice time, and rosters tending to be in flux because of virus-related matters.
Perhaps that’s why no team has some sort of super-gaudy record at the break.
Utah’s 27-9 mark after the first half is the league’s “worst best” mark since Sacramento was 37-13 to lead the league going into the 2004 All-Star Game.
NBA Schedule: Jimmy’s art
Miami’s Jimmy Butler is one of the league’s few players who thrive in the mid-range game. That includes the unguarded 15-footer.
Butler might do something the league hasn’t seen in 12 years. The last time someone averaged at least 20 points per game and got at least 35% of those points at the foul line was 2008-09 when Sacramento’s Kevin Martin did it — averaging 24.6 points, getting 36.4% of them at the stripe.
Butler is averaging 20.5 points this season, 35% of that from free throws. Last season, Butler came close, with 37.9% of his points from the foul line. But he averaged 19.9 points, only three points shy of averaging exactly 20.0.
NBA fans can watch the NBA games LIVE here.
NBA TV coverage: Mavericks vs Spurs live in NBA regular season
NBA games will be broadcasted nationally across ESPN and TNT.
NBA Live stream: Mavericks vs Spurs Live Stream
Every game will be available live via NBA TV, while the nationally broadcast game will also be available via ESPN digital platforms.
Editors pick
