NBA tips off in Florida

The Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers won games on Thursday night as the NBA returned to the court. Players wore social justice slogans on their jerseys, and the court was emblazoned with the words “Black Lives Matter.” The season restart continues this weekend as 22 teams play to secure one of eight playoff spots. The league is holding the games at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla.

What COVID-19 precautions are taking place? Like Major League Baseball, the NBA is playing to empty stands. But select fans cheered on their teams virtually, their faces displaying on giant screens that covered the rows of empty seats. The league announced on Wednesday that all 344 players have tested negative since July 20. The league is keeping them in strict lockdown at the Walt Disney World Resort, and NBA Commissioner Adam Silverman told ABC, “We think we have a plan in place that should work.”

Dig deeper: Read Collin Garbarino’s report in Muse about the NBA’s list of approved slogans for players’ jerseys.