Officials traveling less often, despite some awkwardness
There are nine people who have been on the court to start four different games at Staples Center this season.
Only eight of them are players. The other is referee Scott Foster.
There might be no better way to explain how and why the NBA has changed the travel rules for officials this year than Foster’s work schedule to this point. He was scheduled to work a game in Houston on Dec. 23, only to see the matchup called off when the Rockets didn’t have enough people available to play in accordance with the league’s health and safety protocols regarding the coronavirus.
From there, Foster flew to Los Angeles. He worked four games in six days, and never left L.A. in that span.
That simply would have never happened in past years, when the policy typically was that officials would go at least 13 days between working games in the same city and six days between seeing the same team after officiating one of its games. Those rules will almost certainly come back when the world returns to normal, but for now, in the interest of safety — and common sense — teams are seeing referees more often than usual.
“It changes things a little bit,” Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer said. “But obviously, for safety and our health and the health of the officials, it makes all the sense in the world.”
Referees are tested for COVID-19 daily, just like players and coaches, and have to comply with new league rules about avoiding bars, lounges, clubs, public gyms and many other indoor gathering spots. Reducing their air travel is another part of the league’s plan to exist outside a bubble in a coronavirus-dominated world. The thinking is simple; less time in the air, less time around other people, less risk.
The Bucks saw David Guthrie and Marat Kogut on the crew that officiated their game at Miami on Dec. 29 and when Milwaukee returned to Miami a night later for the second half of the two-game set, Guthrie and Kogut were back as well. It’s not an aberration this season; Ben Taylor was crew chief in Milwaukee on Friday and had the same role when the Bucks played their next game there Monday.
NETS 130, JAZZ 96 >> Kyrie Irving scored 20 of his 29 points in the first half to lead undermanned Brooklyn. Brooklyn, which entered the game having lost two straight and four of five, never trailed. Brooklyn came into the game shor t- handed, missing Spencer Dinwiddie (right knee anterior cruciate ligament reconstructive surgery) and Kevin Durant (quarantining after coming into contact with a positive COVID-19 test).
Tuesday night’s game was the first of four for Brooklyn this week. Before the game, first-year coach Steve Nash said “the length of the quarantine is kind of a moving target.” Nash did add that he didn’t think Durant would be able to participate in “on- court activity” this week.
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