The Associated Press
With five games called off this week already and more teams dealing with virus-related issues, the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association enacted additional rules Tuesday in the hope of keeping the season going safely.
For “at least the next two weeks,” the league and union said, players and team staff will have to remain at their residence when in their home markets and are prohibited from leaving their hotels when on the road with exceptions primarily for practices and games.
“I’m all for anything we possibly can do to ramp up the safety,” said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, whose team had the NBA-minimum eight players in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, missing eight for COVID-related reasons and another with injury. “Just because we want to proceed with our profession doesn’t mean that there isn’t a reality of what’s going on in the world. The virus is still very much out there.”
The NBA said in a news release that they have postponed Monday’s Dallas-New Orleans game and Tuesday’s Chicago-Boston game “ in accordance with the league’s Health and Safety Protocols.” The Mavericks and Celtics do not have eight available players.
Following positive COVID-19 tests on Sunday among the Mavericks traveling party, Dallas closed its practice facility while the team conducted contact tracing. Four players (Jalen Brunson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Maxi Kleber and Josh Richardson) were listed as out for Monday’s game against New Orleans. More Mavs players entered the health and safety protocols after further contact tracing.
The Celtics’ game against Miami was postponed on Sunday because the Heat didn’t have a minimum of eight players available. Boston had at least seven players sidelined for the postponed Heat game, and health and safety protocols sidelined more players for Tuesday’s game against Chicago.
The Washington Wizards said Tuesday that two of their players are going on the NBA’s health and safety protocols list and Orlando’s game in Boston on Wednesday has been called off, the latest items in a wave of bad news related to the coronavirus.
With five games called off this week already and more teams dealing with virus-related issues, the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association enacted additional rules Tuesday in the hope.
The Washington Wizards said Tuesday that two of their players are going on the NBA’s health and safety protocols list and Orlando’s game in Boston on Wednesday has been called off, the latest items in a wave of bad news related to the coronavirus.