The NBA is postponing Thursday night’s game in Denver between the Nuggets and Warriors, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The Nuggets don’t have the required minimum of eight available players, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
As we outlined earlier today, the Nuggets had three players – Jeff Green, Bones Hyland, and Zeke Nnaji – enter the health and safety protocols. The team also has four players – Jamal Murray, Michael Porter, PJ Dozier, and Markus Howard – out with long-term injuries.
If everyone else had been good to go, Denver would still have 10 players on hand — or even 11, if Davon Reed signed his new 10-day contract prior to tip-off. However, Vlatko Cancar (non-COVID illness), Aaron Gordon (hamstring), Monte Morris (knee), and Austin Rivers (thumb) were all listed as questionable on this afternoon’s injury report — if all of them were deemed unavailable, the Nuggets would have only had six or seven healthy players.
The Nuggets will likely look to complete another hardship deal or two besides Reed’s before their next scheduled game on Saturday in Houston.
This postponement is the 11th of the NBA season, as our tracker shows. All of those postponements have occurred since December 14.
Good now it gives the Warrior vets a time to rest and get healthy. Curry could use some time off and 1 less game they play without Green or Thompson out.
And nba players and coaches still get paid. They all surely dont want any stoppage or reduction of games.
it will be telling if Nuggets players injured is well enough to play on the 1st. none of the 3 players out on covid played in the first game. They might be just ditching the Warriors.
They’re still going to have to play them. It’s not like it got cancelled
@michol Do you understand that NBA players and coaches sign contracts? Team owners are obligated to fulfill these contracts. You can’t force an employee to participate in an event that might endanger their lives. Players want to play. But, why endanger their lives.
Players missed out on so much salary last 2 yrs because of pandemic. There is just as much risk now, but I dont see anyone asking for league wide stoppage or a break.