Miami Heat’s scrimmage schedule for NBA restart released. Here are the details
In preparation for the resumption of the 2019-20 season, the Miami Heat will play three scrimmage games.
The NBA released the full scrimmage schedule Saturday afternoon, with the Heat’s three practice games coming against the Sacramento Kings on July 22 at 8 p.m., Utah Jazz on July 25 at 4 p.m. and Memphis Grizzlies on July 28 at 2 p.m. Like the eight “seeding” and playoff games, scrimmage games will be played in the three arenas at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
At this point, there has been no definitive word on whether any of the scrimmage games will be televised. But Fox Sports Sun is planning to televise as many of the Heat’s scrimmage games as the NBA allows, according to a source familiar with the situation, with broadcast information expected at a later date.
“I think we had a pretty stable rotation when the season was shut down and certainly with Meyers [Leonard] out and Tyler [Herro] out, there are some things that we’ll have to figure out,” coach Erik Spoelstra said Wednesday when asked about his approach to the Heat’s scrimmage opportunities. “I think those scrimmages will be very important. We’ll use those to get ready, to get the five-on-five rhythm, but also to take a look at things.”
Each of the teams participating in the restart at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista will compete in three scrimmage games, with the league scheduling matchups between teams in opposite conferences or unlikely first-round playoff opponents in the same conference.
The Heat is days away from its scheduled Wednesday bus trip to the Gran Destino Tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, when players and staff will enter the NBA’s bubble, quarantine in their individual hotel rooms until they return two negative COVID-19 tests at least 24 hours apart and then begin training camp possibly on Friday.
The Heat will not practice again until it arrives at Disney next week because the team was forced to close its AmericanAirlines Arena practice facility for individual workouts after a second Heat player recently tested positive for COVID-19, a league source told the Miami Herald on Friday.
The Heat’s facility only remains open for mandatory COVID-19 tests for players and staff, which began June 23.
The Miami Herald is not reporting the identity of the player because the player has not authorized the release of his name. The player is in quarantine and the expectation is he’ll be available to play when the season restarts.
Since testing began last week, the Heat has had at least two players test positive for COVID-19: Forward Derrick Jones Jr. was the first. Even with this news, the Heat still expects to have all 17 players on its roster available when the season resumes at Disney.
The NBA’s restart plan calls for 22 teams to finish their seasons at a fanless quarantine-type environment just outside of Orlando. The season is set to resume on July 30 and end in October.
The Heat’s first “seeding game” is scheduled for Aug. 1 against the Denver Nuggets. Miami has already clinched a spot in the playoffs, which begin Aug. 17.
