MANILA, Philippines – The Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat all posted victories over their respective opponents in the first day of scrimmages in the NBA restart in Orlando, Florida on Wednesday (Thursday, Manila time).
Playing their first official basketball game, the squads marked the return of the NBA since the season was postponed early March due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
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Western Conference contender Clippers exploited the talents of stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard and beat home squad Orlando Magic, 99-90 in the opening scrimmage.
Meanwhile, 44th pick Bol Bol racked up 16 points, 10 boards and six blocks in his NBA debut to help the Denver Nuggets beat the Washington Wizards, 89-82.
Bol's statline prompted the NBA to have him scheduled for a drug test.
For the Pelicans, they made easy work of the undermanned Brooklyn Nets in a lopsided 99-68 victory.
Pelicans rookie sensation Zion Williamson has yet to rejoin his squad in the bubble after leaving the Orlando campus to attend to a family matter.
Miami Heat's Duncan Robinson, on the other hand, posted 18 points in his squad's close 104-98 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
All scrimmages played on Wednesday were shortened to 10-minute quarters instead of the usual 12 minutes to reduce strain on the players after months of inactivity.
The first scrimmage for all other teams who have yet to play will follow the same format.
The second and third of the teams' scrimmages will go back to the usual 48-minute long game.
After the scrimmages, the seeding games will mark the official restart of the 2019-20 season.
The seeding games tip off on July 30 (July 31 in Manila).