Very few of us could have ever envisioned this day coming when sports shut down back in March, but it's with great excitement we can say the NBA IS BACK. The Jazz play New Orleans at 6:30 ET and the Clippers and Lakers meet at 9:00 ET.

Obviously the DFS landscape is going to look very different when the league restarts. There will be no fans in attendance at the Disney bubble in Orlando and some teams look completely different than they did in March even though this is technically the same season.

There are reasons to be optimistic ahead of today's restart though and it could be a great opportunity for DFS success. Think about it, there is no plane fatigue, no late nights on the road, no heckling fans - It's just the players and none of the outside noise.

In preparation for tonight's Jazz @ Pelicans and Clippers @ Lakers restart games, here is an NBA refresher for the league we didn't know we missed as much as we did.

Game Location and Schedule

Almost all NBA fans are aware that the league will restart from the Disney bubble in Orlando. This location will take away any home court advantage but that doesn't mean the stands will be empty. Other players from 'the bubble' will be allowed to attend games as fans.

Allowing players to attend games definitely makes marquee games a target for NBA DFS. The Rockets vs. Mavericks game on Friday night could be packed as players/fans watch James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Luka Doncic for the first time in nearly five months. We'll see how many players attend big games right away in the Clippers vs. Lakers game tonight.

It will also be interesting to see how the schedule effects players. There are still back-to-backs here and there but games also start as early as 1:30 EDT , even on weekdays. With 5-6 games but with staggered start times at different courts the 'main slate' should run all day. There will be a whole new DFS strategy developed around this schedule.

There are 22-teams invited to Orlando and each will play eight 'seeding' games. These run from July 30th until August 14th.

Teams

Attacking the 'tomato cans' of the league is a sound NBA DFS strategy. Things might be a bit different when the bubble resumes though. Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Golden State, Minnesota, and the Knicks did not get an invite to Orlando.

Losing Atlanta and Minnesota hurts DFS purposes because they were the #3 and #4 teams in pace, respectively. New Orleans, Milwaukee, Houston, and Washington will be the top four possession per game teams to target in the bubble.

Another thing to get strategic about with the restart is how much incentive some of the teams have.

Squads will be playing eight games over two weeks with six teams already clinching in the East. Orlando has a 5.5 game lead for the 8th seed over Washington so that's all but sealed. The West also has six teams in, with Memphis holding a 3.5 game lead over Portland for the 8 seed.

It will be a good time for DFS players to get familiar with teams like Milwaukee's (6.5 game lead in East) and the Lakers' (5.5 lead in West) roster from top to bottom the next two weeks. Stars are going to play a bit to shake the rust off, but the postseason (August 17th) is what everybody has returned for.

Who Is In, Who Is Out, Who Is New?

Just because there hasn't been game action since early March doesn't mean the NBA was without news. Everybody is treading lightly with the restart as they take the dangers of COVID seriously and some players have decided to opt out of attending the bubble altogether. The big names opting out include:

🏀Trevor Ariza, Blazers - opting for a one month visit with his son

🏀Avery Bradley, Lakers - has a son with respiratory issues

🏀Davis Bertans, Wizards - entering free agency in the offseason

🏀Willie Cauley-Stein, Mavs - welcomed a newborn on July 7th

🏀Spencer Dinwiddie, Nets - had a positive COVID test on July 7th

🏀Deandre Jordan, Nets - also had a positive COVID test

🏀Victor Oladipo, Pacers - trying to get healthy for 20/21

🏀LaMarcus Aldridge, Spurs - underwent shoulder surgery

🏀Bojan Bogdanovic, Jazz - underwent wrist surgery

There are some pretty significant names that are on that list but in the big picture not as bad as things could have been. Teams will be able to carry up to 17 players just in case positive tests do start rolling in. The good news is that there have been 0 cases thus far.

Some veterans signing with new teams during the pandemic include Jamal Crawford (Nets), J. R. Smith (Lakers), and Joakim Noah (Clippers). With the expanded rosters it will also be a great time for G-League players like Justin Anderson (Nets) to give GMs a solid look.

Today's DFS Outlook

Here is a quick snippet about the four teams involved in tonight's restart. We'll have a more in-depth breakdown for Friday's 6-game slate and after we see just how this resume to action works:

Utah Jazz : It's fitting that Utah is the first team in action after the quarantine, as they were the ones who kind of got this whole ball rolling when Rudy Gobert was basically licking microphones.

The Jazz are without Bogdanovic who was averaging 20.2 ppg and 4.1 rpg. Utah plays the Pelicans tonight and their biggest weaknesses are against PG (28th dVp) and the SF position (27th). New Orleans had also risen to tops in the league in possessions per game.

New Orleans Pelicans: The Pelicans are tied with the Trail Blazers and Kings at 3.5 games back from Memphis for the 8 seed. A lot of ground to make up in an 8-game 'season' but at the very least we get to see a bit more of Zion Williamson ($7.1k)...maybe. Williamson is listed as a coach's decision as he had to leave the bubble for a family matter and hasn't played in 4-1/2 months.

This game will meet in the middle in pace because the Jazz like to slow it down as the 5th lowest team in possessions per game. The Jazz also aren't worse than 15th vs. any position.

Los Angeles Clippers - the Clippers are one of the teams looking at a different roster - at least at first - from when we last saw them. Lou Williams is still quarantining after the infamous wing gate. Patrick Beverley and Montrezl Harrell, after having to leave the bubble, while Ivica Zubac and Landry Shamet are still working their way back from having the coronavirus.

All these absences would point to high usage games from Kawhi Leonard ($9.5k) and Paul George ($7.4k). George may benefit from the long layoff as he reportedly looks healthier than he has in a couple years. George averaged 16.0 ppg in about 24 minutes in three scrimmage games.

Los Angeles Lakers - The Lakers are just 4 point favorites tonight and some people may look at that as kind of low considering how shorthanded the Clippers are. The Lakers are going to look different on the restart too with Rajon Rondo undergoing thumb surgery and Avery Bradley opting out to not endanger his son.

There's another big 'if' for the Lakers tonight and that's Anthony Davis ($10.4k) who missed some practice time after getting poked in the eye earlier in the week. You'd think Davis gives it a go here and he is listed as probable. Davis has averaged 26.3 ppg and 7.3 rpg vs. the Clippers in three games. LeBron James ($11.4k) has averaged 23/9/9 vs. what is now his 'cross-bubble- rivals.

Here's to an entertaining, but most importantly, safe NBA restart. Basketball is back....it almost doesn't feel real.

You can follow me, Carl Taylor (@dailydogsports), on Twitter for more daily fantasy and sports betting talk and make sure to check out the LineStar chat.

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