Restart plan hit by more Covid-19 cases
LOS ANGELES: The Denver Nuggets closed their training facility over the weekend after two members of their party that was set to travel to Orlando for the season’s restart tested positive for Covid-19, a source close to the matter confirmed.
The team’s 35-person party made up of players, coaches and staff was tested on Saturday. It was not immediately clear who tested positive but the facilities were closed as a precautionary measure. The team and the league did not comment on reports of the closure.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone said this month that he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus in March, while centre Nikola Jokic tested positive in Serbia last week.
The New Orleans Pelicans said on Tuesday that three of their players had also tested positive for Covid-19.
“They’re not in ‘quarantine.’ They’re in self-isolation and they test daily,” Pelicans Executive Vice President David
Griffin told reporters.
“When they can have two negative tests — or rather tests that are good results for us — they can return to activity with the team.”
Last week, the league said 16 of 302 players had tested positive for Covid-19 and were in self-isolation.
NBA teams were set to travel on July 7 to Florida where the NBA plans to restart the suspended season on July 30 at Disney World, with all games, practices and housing at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex inside the Orlando resort.
The Nuggets are third in the Western Conference standings, behind the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers, and they are scheduled to play the Miami Heat on Aug 1 in their first game after the hiatus.
The Pelicans, who had a 28-36 record before the season was suspended, will kick off the season restart on July 30.