NBA News Roundup: Pre-season schedule for the upcoming season revealed with basketball action returning in under a month

After major speculation, the starting date for the NBA season was recently revealed to be 22nd December. With that and the NBA Draft 2020 set to take place on the 18th of November, the basketball season will officially be underway. The upcoming season's schedule is taking shape quickly, and on that note, let's check the latest NBA news roundup.

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NBA News Roundup: League targeting Dec 11-19 start for 2020-21 pre-season

2020 NBA Finals - Game Six

The league has made major decisions recently regarding the scheduling of some important events. In addition to the start of next season, the NBA free agency's date was revealed to be 20th November.

In a recent update, the NBA decided to conduct the pre-season for the upcoming campaign from December 11th to 19th, with teams having the option of requesting to play three games. The pre-season games will allow the players to get into the groove before the actual action starts.

However, the pre-season might turn out to be a nightmare for the players, considering the grueling schedule ahead. NBA stars have been asked to play 72 games in an extremely tight window, and these extra games might induce muscle injuries.

Sources: The NBA is targeting Dec. 11-19 for 2020-21 preseason and teams have the option of requesting three or four games. Each team must host at least one home game.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 14, 2020

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NBA News Roundup: Golden State Warriors planning to welcome fans back at 50% capacity

Toronto Raptors v Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors have presented a plan to state and local officials to reopen Chase Center in San Francisco at 50% capacity for the upcoming NBA season. The team believes that this can be the model for all sports franchises and entertainment venues to bring back fans amid the COVID-19 pandemic safely.

The experiment will be dependent on a rapid PCR test that can detect traces of the virus's genetic material in nasal or throat swabs within 15 minutes and are far more accurate than rapid antigen tests.

The Warriors' proposal calls for everyone who enters Chase Center to wear a mask and maintain social distancing. There are plans to use an advanced air filtration system that has the capability to use 100% outside air or purge the building's air supply and replace it four times in an hour if necessary.

With the start of the NBA season quite close, it will be intriguing to see if the Warriors' plan gets approved by the league.

The Golden State Warriors do not even have a schedule for next season yet, but already announced plans to let fans into their arena at 50% capacity in a mere six weeks. https://t.co/Kk1QJtwIM7

— SFist (@SFist) November 13, 2020