New COVID-19 Outbreak Postpones Six NBA Games

The NBA season has been going strong but recently hit a speedbump due to COVID-19. Although players were subject to intensive medical scrutiny and provided with a strict set of regulations regarding what they can and cannot do, the virus recently found its way into the league. 

Going into last Friday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Charlotte Hornets chose to sit out three players due to them being questionable under COVID-19 health protocols. 

With Cody Martin, Caleb Martin, and P.J. Washington weren’t playing, questions about the risk of playing were raised. Still, the teams hit the hardwood against Minnesota and went on to play the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. 

San Antonio beat the Hornets 122-110 but ended up jeopardizing their safety in doing so. According to a recent statement released by the NBA, four Spurs have tested positive for COVID-19. 

As of today, the league is now postponing games to mitigate the spread, as both opponents of the Hornets and Spurs are now in danger of contracting the virus, including those who previously went against them. 

Since the start of the season, around thirty NBA games have been postponed by COVID-19, including the recent five that came from the current outbreak. For the Spurs, they won’t be able to compete against upcoming games vs. Cleveland, New York, and Indiana. They aren’t set to resume playing until Feb. 24, so it’ll be interesting to see how they make up for the lost time. 

Similarly, the Hornets will miss upcoming games against Chicago and Denver. 

Besides, postponed games are being rerouted, including a move that put the Chicago Bulls (set to play the Hornets on Wednesday) in a new matchup against the Detroit Pistons.

Alongside the needed treatment for the four players who’ve tested positive, the findings call into question the potential spread that may have previously occurred in games leading up to the Spurs vs. Hornets.  

If the NBA continues their season, their testing needs to be reworked, and further regulations should be added to the arsenal.