Wednesday’s Jazz/Wizards Game Postponed
The NBA is postponing tomorrow’s scheduled game between the Jazz and the Wizards, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The Wizards will not have the minimum eight available players needed to participate as a result of coronavirus-related contact tracing protocols, Charania notes in a separate tweet.
This announcement marks the sixth game to be postponed during the 2020/21 season’s first 23 days, as Marc Stein of the New York Times points out (via Twitter). Tomorrow’s game between the Celtics and Magic was also postponed, as was yesterday’s game between the Mavericks and the Pelicans; the Sunday game between the Heat and Celtics; today’s game between the Celtics and Bulls; and the December 23 game between the Rockets and the Thunder.
Earlier today, Washington’s practice was canceled when big men Rui Hachimura and Moritz Wagner were both placed into the NBA’s health and safety protocols. The other affected players have not been announced — it’s unclear so far whether Hachimura, Wagner, and others will be required to undergo a quarantine period of seven days or more.
The 3-8 Wizards’ last game was a 128-107 route of the 7-4 Suns on Monday.
League Swaps Rockets/Spurs In For Heat/Sixers Thursday
Given the Heat‘s multiple player absences expected for Thursday, the NBA has opted to substitute a Rockets/Spurs contest in for the originally-scheduled Heat matchup against the Sixers for broadcast on TNT, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times (Twitter link).
Heat players Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic, Bam Adebayo, Kendrick Nunn, Maurice Harkless, Udonis Haslem, and KZ Okpala will be unavailable due to the league’s coronavirus-related health and safety protocols.
Heat center Meyers Leonard will miss tonight’s game against the Sixers due to a shoulder injury, David Wilson of the Miami Herald tweets. His status for the Thursday rematch remains unclear.
Mark Medina of USA Today adds (via Twitter) that the Houston-San Antonio bout will be rescheduled to a 7:30 p.m. EST start time on TNT, and the Heat-Philadelphia game will be moved to a 7 p.m. local broadcast.
Mavs Expected To Have Enough Players For Wednesday’s Game
4:43pm: The four Dallas players listed below (Kleber, Richardson, Finney-Smith, and Brunson) and center Dwight Powell, will miss the Hornets game on Wednesday due to the health and safety protocols, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times (via Twitter).
Since reports have suggested that four Mavs players have returned positive COVID-19 tests, it seems safe to assume that all but one of those five players tested positive.
On the plus side, Mavericks center Kristaps Porzingis has been listed as probable for tomorrow’s contest in Charlotte, per Stein.
4:00pm: The Mavericks‘ Monday game vs. New Orleans had to be postponed by the NBA because the league was conducting a contact tracing investigation following a positive coronavirus test and wouldn’t be able to clear enough Dallas players in time for tip-off.
However, despite the fact that four Mavericks players have reportedly registered positive COVID-19 tests, it sounds like there’s a good chance Wednesday’s game with the Hornets will be able to take place as scheduled.
Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press reports (via Twitter) that the Mavs’ team plane took off for Charlotte this afternoon, while Marc Stein of The New York Times says (via Twitter) that Dallas is expected to have 12 players available for tomorrow’s game.
The Mavs have a full 17-man roster, so if they anticipate having 12 players available, that would suggest that only one additional player – besides the four who reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus – will remain tied up in the league’s contact tracing protocols.
We should get more clarity on the availability of Mavs players when the team releases its injury report for Wednesday’s game. While we don’t know exactly which four players tested positive for the coronavirus, reports have suggested that Maxi Kleber was among them. Josh Richardson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Jalen Brunson were all self-isolating as of Friday, so it’s possible that one or more players from that trio also tested positive.
Kyrie Irving Not Expected To Play This Week
4:27pm: If the Nets determine that Irving has ultimately violated NBA COVID-19 protocols, he will lose approximately $410K for each night missed, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
3:45pm: Nets general manager Sean Marks issued a statement on the Irving situation, confirming that the team and the league are “reviewing the circumstances” of the video showing the point guard at a family gathering. Irving’s return date has yet to be finalized, per Marks.
“Kyrie will have the opportunity to address his absence when he is ready to do so,” Marks said.
10:32am: The Nets announced on Monday that star point guard Kyrie Irving has been ruled out for Tuesday’s contest against Denver, making it the fourth consecutive game he will miss for personal reasons (Twitter link via Tim Bontemps of ESPN).
Asked about Irving’s status on Monday, head coach Steve Nash said he didn’t have any updates, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
Multiple reports – from Lewis and others – have suggested Irving’s personal leave has been related to his frustration over social issues, including last Wednesday’s riot at the U.S. Capitol. However, as NetsDaily details, his absence has become further complicated by new videos that appears to show him celebrating a birthday (believed to be his sister’s) amid a large gathering of people, without wearing a mask.
Sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Malika Andrews (Twitter link) that the NBA is examining those videos. If they’re found to be recent and constitute a violation of the league’s health and safety protocols, Irving would presumably be subject to a quarantine period when he returns to the Nets, like James Harden was last month when similar video emerged of him maskless in a nightclub.
Still, it remains to be seen when exactly the 28-year-old will report back to the team. In a separate tweet, Wojnarowski says sources expect Irving to remain sidelined for Brooklyn’s games against the Knicks on Wednesday and the Magic on Saturday — it’s unclear if his personal leave will extend through those games or if he’ll miss them due to an anticipated quarantine period.
Wizards Cancel Practice As Two Players Enter Health And Safety Protocols
3:33pm: Rui Hachimura and Moritz Wagner are the two Wizards affected by the NBA’s health and safety protocols and are currently listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game vs. Utah, as Fred Katz of The Athletic relays (via Twitter).
9:35am: The Wizards have had two players enter the NBA’s health and safety protocols related to COVID-19, according to the team, which announced this morning (via Twitter) that it has canceled today’s scheduled practice due to “an abundance of caution.”
It’s not clear which two Wizards players are affected or whether they’ll require a quarantine period. The NBA has been cagey about providing many specifics related to its health and safety protocols, but those protocols apply to players who return a positive or inconclusive COVID-19 test, as well as those who may have had close contact with someone who tested positive.
This marks the fifth straight day that a Wizards player or a player on their previous opponent entered the health and safety protocols, notes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter link). The Wizards’ opponents from Friday (Boston) and Saturday (Miami) are each missing several players due to the coronavirus protocols. Washington played the Suns on Monday night.
For now, there’s no indication that the Wizards’ Wednesday game against Utah is in jeopardy, but we’ll have to wait for additional updates on the two players in the protocols and see if any other players join them.
COVID-19 Notes: Ferguson, Arcidiacono, Markkanen, More
The Sixers have been hit hard recently by absences related to the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols. As of this afternoon, they’ve added a sixth player to their list of those who are out due to the league’s COVID-19 protocols.
Terrance Ferguson, who was previously sidelined for personal reasons, has apparently returned to the 76ers, but will need to undergo a quarantine period before he’s cleared to play, as Tim Bontemps of ESPN notes (Twitter links).
Despite the team finding itself shorthanded, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers isn’t sure that expanding rosters for this season is the answer, telling reporters on Monday that he “probably would not be” in favor of that solution (Twitter link via Bontemps). While having more players available might help teams reach the eight-player minimum, adding back-of-the-roster guys won’t necessarily make a shorthanded club more competitive, Rivers observed.
Here are a few more items from around the NBA related to COVID-19:
- Ryan Arcidiacono and Lauri Markkanen, who have been out since December due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, are back with the Bulls, per Eric Woodyard of ESPN (Twitter links). Both players tested negative for the coronavirus during their respective contract-tracing quarantines.
- After Shams Charania of The Athletic reported earlier this week that one player tested positive for COVID-19 for a second time in the last year, Brian Windhorst and Zach Lowe of ESPN say that multiple players have now registered repeat positive tests. Although the CDC has said it expects some coronavirus reinfections, there’s uncertainty about whether that’s the case here, according to ESPN’s duo — there were higher rates of false positives early in the pandemic, meaning some players who were believed to have the virus back in the spring could have been false positives.
- Jabari Young of CNBC takes a look at the financial impact of postponed NBA games and the problems that pausing the season may cause for the league’s advertisers and partners.
- In case you missed it, the NBA and NBPA announced this afternoon that they’ve tightened a number of COVID-19 protocols that apply to players and staffers. NBPA executive director Michele Roberts told Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter links) that imposing more restrictions on players isn’t ideal, but was deemed necessary. “Our experts have concluded that these new procedures will add to our arsenal of weapons against the virus,” she said. “It would be irresponsible and unacceptable to not employ new measures aimed at better promoting and protecting our players’ safety.”
NBA, NBPA Tighten COVID-19 Protocols For Players, Staffers
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have agreed to tighten several of the health and safety protocols related to COVID-19 for at least the next two weeks, they announced today in a joint press release.
The new, more restrictive measures are being introduced in the wake of a handful of game postponements since Sunday. Several teams around the NBA have had players test positive for the coronavirus within the last week and/or are missing several players due to the league’s contact tracing program.
The following changes will be implemented for at least the next two weeks, per the league and the union:
- While in their home markets, players and staffers must remain at home except to attend team-related activities, to exercise outside, or to perform essential activities.
- Players can no longer interact with non-team guests while at hotels on the road.
- Pregame meetings in the locker room will be limited to no more than 10 minutes, with all attendees wearing face masks. All other meetings involving players and staffers must occur on the court, in a league-approved space, or at the arena in a room large enough to social-distance.
- For team flights, teams must creating a seating plan to ensure that players who are closest to one another on the bench are also closest to one another on the plane.
- Players will be prohibited from arriving at the arena more than three hours before tip-off.
- Before and after games, physical interactions between players will be limited to elbow bumps or fist bumps (ie. no hugs or hand shakes). They also must avoid “extended socializing” and must attempt to maintain six feet of distance.
- Players must wear face masks on the bench at all times, except immediately after they come out of a game. Players checking out of a game can sit in “cool down chairs” at least 12 feet from the bench and at least six feet from other chairs. When they return to the bench area, they must put on a mask.
- Players will be required to wear face masks at all times in the locker room, during strength and conditioning activities, and when traveling with anyone besides a member of their household.
- Coaches and other staffers must wear face masks at all times during games.
- Any individual who regularly visits a player’s or staffer’s home for a professional purpose must undergo COVID-19 testing at least twice per week.
While all of these rules will be in place for at least two weeks, one source tells Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link) that “that’s probably the minimum.” Some of the changes figure to remain in effect for the rest of the season.
NBA Postpones Wednesday’s Celtics/Magic Game
A third consecutive Celtics game will be postponed, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Wednesday’s contest between the C’s and the Magic won’t be played as scheduled.
The NBA issued a press release confirming the postponement, noting within its announcement that Boston doesn’t have the league-required minimum of eight players available.
As Tim Bontemps of ESPN observes (via Twitter), the Celtics’ most recent injury report, released on Sunday, included seven players (Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Grant Williams, Tristan Thompson, Robert Williams, Javonte Green, and Semi Ojeleye) out due to health and safety protocols and two more (Kemba Walker and Romeo Langford) sidelined due to injuries. That would leave eight players available, so it seems likely that at least one more player has been ruled out since then.
The Celtics and Magic had been scheduled to play a pair of games in Boston this week. The second of those two contests, set to be played on Friday, remains up in the air for the time being. According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the Magic won’t be traveling to Boston today. However, they could do so later in the week.
Markieff Morris, DeMarcus Cousins Fined For On-Court Altercation
Lakers forward Markieff Morris and Rockets center DeMarcus Cousins have been fined by the NBA for their roles in an on-court altercation in Sunday’s game, the league announced today in a press release. Morris will lose $35K, while Cousins was penalized $10K.
Morris committed a flagrant foul on Rockets forward Jae’Sean Tate during the first quarter of Sunday’s Lakers win, with Cousins responding by pushing Morris to the floor.
The league said that Morris “further escalated the situation” by going after Cousins, shoving him and “continuing to aggressively pursue him,” which presumably explains why his fine is more substantial. Both players received technical fouls and Morris was ejected. Cousins was ejected later in the game after committing a flagrant foul.
Rockets coach Stephen Silas praised Cousins after the game for sticking up for Tate, who is in his first year in the NBA.
“He wasn’t going to allow anything to happen to his rookie, and I think that’s admirable,” Silas said. “Him sticking up for his teammate shows a lot of who DeMarcus Cousins is.”
Knicks Notes: Gibson, Toppin, Ntilikina, Hayward
The Knicks signed Taj Gibson to a rest-of-season contract last Thursday, according to NBA.com’s official transactions log. However, the veteran big man hasn’t been able to play for the team yet due to COVID-19 protocols, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. It’s possible that Gibson will be able to join the club for Wednesday’s game against Brooklyn, Berman says.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Obi Toppin (calf) and Frank Ntilikina (knee) aren’t yet close to returning, according to Berman. Toppin hasn’t been cleared for contact, while Ntilikina may not be back at practice until next week.
- Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau pushed to sign Gordon Hayward in free agency in November, but the team ultimately felt the price was too high, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. With the Knicks in Charlotte on Monday, Thibodeau acknowledged that Hayward was “rated pretty high on our (free agent) board,” while the Hornets forward said there was “a lot of interest on both sides.”
- The Knicks aren’t as good as their 5-3 start suggested, but they seem refreshingly free of dysfunction this season, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com, who says the franchise finally seems to be building the right way with the right people.