NBA CONSIDERING PAUSE IN ACTION

Monday night's game between the Dallas Mavericks and the visiting New Orleans Pelicans and Tuesday night's contest between the Boston Celtics and the host Chicago Bulls have been postponed due to health and safety protocols, the NBA announced.

The postponements are the third and fourth of the season, spurring a flurry of activity over the next 24 hours. According to KRON 4 News in San Francisco, the league is considering a 7-14 day pause. The NBA has called a special Board of Governors meeting for Tuesday, per ESPN.

In the meantime, the NBA said that it will be meeting with the NBPA on Monday about modifying the league's health and safety protocols related to COVID-19.

Ongoing contact tracing with the Mavericks left them short of the league-mandated eight players.

The Mavericks, already without Maxi Kleber, Dorian Finney-Smith, Josh Richardson and Jalen Brunson, reportedly added at least five more players to the health and safety protocols on Monday. The Mavericks shut down their facility Sunday after Kleber's positive test.

Ongoing contact tracing within the Celtics left them short the necessary players for Tuesday's game against the Bulls, ESPN reported. Star forward Jayson Tatum was put into quarantine late last week.