NBA announces structure and format for the 2020-21 seasonHighlights:
* Each team will play three games against each intraconference opponent (42 total games per team) featuring either two home games and one road game, or one home game and two road games.
* All five teams within each division will play all five teams from one intraconference division twice at home, and all five teams from the remaining intraconference division twice on the road.
* Each team will play two games against each interconference opponent (30 total games per team), with each pairing featuring one home game and one road game.
* The 2020-21 regular-season schedule will be released in two segments to allow flexibility in case games are suspended and need to be rescheduled. The All-Star break is set to take place March 5-10, 2021, between the First Half and Second Half of the regular season.
* A Play-In Tournament will take place from May 18-21, 2021 (after the regular season and before the first round of the playoffs) involving the teams ranked 7 to 10 based on winning percentages in the regular season in each conference.
Play-in games will involve Team 7 v. Team 8, and Team 9 v. Team 10. Team 7 will have a twice-to-beat advantage against Team 8 in this bracket. The Play-in game for the other bracket between Team 9 and Team 10 will be a knockout game. Winner from the 7-8 bracket will advance to the playoffs as the seventh seed. The loser from the 7-8 bracket will then face the winner of the 9-10 knockout game but with a twice-to-beat advantage. Winner of this match-up will advance to the playoffs as the eighth seed.
https://www.nba.com/news/nba-announces-structure-and-format-for-2020-21-season