Celtics-Raptors Game 1 rescheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday

The NBA announced on Friday that the Celtics will play the Raptors in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The matchup was originally scheduled for Thursday evening before the NBA players sat out games on Wednesday in protest to the shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin.

Wednesday’s games will be made up on Saturday after a two-day delay while Thursday’s games will be played on Sunday.

The remainder of the Celtics-Raptors series is expected to take place on an every other day schedule beginning on Sunday. Both the Celtics and Raptors practiced on Friday for the first time since Wednesday but both teams canceled their media sessions ahead of a joint statement by the NBA and NBPA which announced the resumption of the postseason and initiatives the league and players would be taking to advance social justice issues.

NBPA executive director Michele Roberts and NBA commissioner Adam Silver issued a joined statement on Friday about the meeting between players and owners on Thursday after the players voted to resume the season: “We had a candid, impassioned and productive conversation yesterday between NBA players, coaches and team governors regarding next steps to further our collective efforts and actions in support of social justice and racial equality.”

The league and players committed to working together to achieve these goals in the wake of their discussions on Thursday, as released in a statement.

1. The NBA and its players have agreed to immediately establish a social justice coalition, with representatives from players, coaches and governors, that will be focused on a broad range of issues, including increasing access to voting, promoting civic engagement, and advocating for meaningful police and criminal justice reform.

2. In every city where the league franchise owns and controls the arena property, team governors will continue to work with local elections officials to convert the facility into a voting location for the 2020 general election to allow for a safe in-person voting option for communities vulnerable to COVID.  If a deadline has passed, team governors will work with local elections officials to find another election-related use for the facility, including but not limited to voter registration and ballot receiving boards.

3. The league will work with the players and our network partners to create and include advertising spots in each NBA playoff game dedicated to promoting greater civic engagement in national and local elections and raising awareness around voter access and opportunity.

“These commitments follow months of close collaboration around designing a safe and healthy environment to restart the NBA season, providing a platform to promote social justice, as well as creating an NBA Foundation focused on economic empowerment in the Black community.

“We look forward to the resumption of the playoffs and continuing to work together – in Orlando and in all NBA team markets – to push for meaningful and sustainable change.”