By TIM REYNOLDS, AP Basketball Author
Tuesday’s sport between San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons has been postponed, marking the second time this month that the NBA has known as off a sport due to coronavirus-related points.
The NBA made the announcement Monday, saying the Spurs have somebody who examined optimistic and that, mixed with contact tracing, meant they’d not have the league minimal of eight gamers obtainable to start a sport.
The NBA doesn’t announce the names of gamers who check optimistic; some have revealed optimistic exams on their very own. The Spurs have been with out guard Quinndary Weatherspoon for his or her sport Sunday towards Charlotte due to the league’s COVID-19 protocols; Weatherspoon had performed 10 minutes on Friday in Atlanta, then was flagged by the protocols over the weekend.
Being dominated out due to the protocols can counsel any variety of issues, together with a optimistic check, a suspected optimistic check or contact-tracing information exhibiting {that a} participant might have been uncovered to an individual with COVID-19.
The one different sport known as off this month for a virus-related concern was on Feb. 1, additionally involving the Pistons — Detroit’s evening sport at Denver was postponed due to contact tracing points involving the Pistons.
The NBA has made some schedule switches since — transferring a Portland at Charlotte sport that was to be performed Feb. 7 till later within the season, for instance — however hadn’t known as off any extra video games till Monday.
Not together with video games that already have been reshuffled, issues associated to the virus have induced 24 postponements this season, with 22 of these coming within the final three weeks of January. Lots of the postponed video games can be made up within the second half of the season, which presently is scheduled to start March 11.
The NBA is anticipated to launch the second-half schedule within the coming days.
The league had 27 gamers check optimistic for COVID-19 in a two-week span of January, although solely two gamers have been confirmed as optimistic within the three-week interval that adopted and went by Feb. 10. These numbers can be up to date later this week.
Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Cities returned to the Timberwolves’ lineup final week after a 13-game absence as a result of he examined optimistic for COVID-19; Cities has misplaced seven relations, together with his mom, to the virus.
Miami’s Tyler Herro missed a sport final week due to a suspected optimistic check; subsequent exams confirmed he was tremendous and he was permitted to return to the Warmth lineup after the one-game absence.
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