NEWSLETTER
When the NBA decided to hold the 2020-21 season outside of a bubble, they knew the risks involved. Now, on only the second night of the season, the league must already postpone one of their games.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder will not tip-off their respect regular seasons tonight as originally scheduled.
Houston Rockets-Oklahoma City Thunder game tonight has been postponed.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 23, 2020
Game is postponed, league says. https://t.co/47WBTLdS8W
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 23, 2020
The decision comes after a rollercoaster ride in Houston, where players have either tested positive or inconclusive over the past day or so. Several players, including DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall, also must follow NBA protocols and stay away from the team due to contract tracing.
The Rockets’ situation has become so messy, that the team could not ensure that eight players would be available for tonight’s contest.
The Rockets don't have the required eight available players, league says.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 23, 2020
Thanks to an earlier report from Wojnarowski, we know that several players on the team got together for haircuts, including rookie KJ Martin who tested positive for the virus on Wednesday. The team will now test Martin again to get a better read on his situation. However, this one case isn’t the Rockets only problem. Ben McLemore is already away from the team due to a positive diagnosis, and the league is also in the midst of punishing James Harden for breaking their COVID-19 protocols.
Anyway, just as I finish writing this up, the NBA has released an official press release that sums up the situation.
Tonight's game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center has been postponed in accordance with the league’s Health and Safety Protocols. pic.twitter.com/Qn0hXlxCZr
— NBA (@NBA) December 23, 2020
I mean, we can’t say we didn’t see this coming, right? Sure, it would have been ideal not to have this happen on the second night of games, but perhaps this early bump in the road can help improve how the league deals with things moving forward (that’s exactly how it happened with the NFL and MLB in 2020). Hopefully the Rockets are not on the verge of any major outbreak, and they can return to the court soon.
