Report: NBA owners expected to approve Orlando restart with 20-22 teams
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The NBA's board of governors is expected to approve commissioner Adam Silver's recommendation to resume the 2019-20 season in Orlando in a vote scheduled for June 4, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne.
A 22-team format is gaining support among the board's members, who are also considering a 20-team proposal, Wojnarowski and Shelburne report.
The recommendation lines up one of the proposals Silver and the board reportedly discussed during a Friday conference call; under that proposed format, teams within six games of a playoff berth would continue to play regular-season games, with a play-in tournament determining the final postseason field.
Six teams outside the playoff picture were within six games of a berth when the league announced a hiatus on March 11 due to COVID-19: the Portland Trail Blazers (3.5 games behind), New Orleans Pelicans (3.5), Sacramento Kings (3.5), San Antonio Spurs (four), and Phoenix Suns (six) in the Western Conference, and the Washington Wizards (5.5) in the East.
Targeting July 31 as the date for the NBA's return to action was also reportedly discussed during Friday's call.