No talk of postponing game
Though the Raptors had six coaches, including head coach Nick Nurse, along with star forward Pascal Siakam unavailable for Friday’s game against the Rockets, Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said there were no discussions with the NBA about postponing the game because of concern about contact between players who were available and the Rockets.
“We spoke to the NBA,” Webster said. “One way to think about it is we get tested in the morning. If those tests come back negative, that gives you the clearance to participate in activities that day. Once the negative tests came back this afternoon, that gave the NBA the comfort that at least for today we’re clear.”
Assistant coach Sergio Scariolo came out of quarantine Friday after returning from Europe, timing that Webster called convenient. He did not know who would have coached had Scariolo not been available, but said the Raptors could have brought in Raptors 905 coach Pat Mutombo from the G League bubble.
Webster did not say if anyone ruled unavailable had tested positive or how long they might be out.
“It’s early in what’s going on here, so I think we’re all being conscientious and not taking any risks,” Webster said. “We’ll see what tomorrow brings us. We’re all diligently getting tested and awaiting the results every day.”
The situation would not impact the Rockets, Stephen Silas said, calling it unusual but fitting.
“With the contact tracing and all of that, it’s a hard deal to keep everybody safe and have some sort of normal life experience,” Silas said. “For us, it doesn’t really make much of a difference. It’s Nick Nurse’s team. They run Nick Nurse’s stuff. He’s a great coach. I respect the heck out of him. Not having him over the on the side doesn’t necessarily make me feel any better. It’s his team that’s coached, and it’s the players that they have that make them really good.
“It’s a tough situation that they have for him and his coaching staff, but walking from the bus to the locker room, they have a bunch of other coaches. If that happened to me, we would be down to our trainer, Keith Jones, or somebody would be coaching. But for them, they have a bunch of other guys, so they’ll be fine.”
If Silas is out John Lucas would coach the Rockets. Silas said he does not have a plan if five or six coaches are out.
That was one situation he has not faced, and Friday’s did not reach the point there was concern about playing at all.
“It’s the NBA’s decision,” Webster said. “The NBA is looking out for the best interest of both teams. Having been on the other side with the Brooklyn game and ( Kevin) Durant, we have to trust and have a high degree of comfort they’re making a decision and not exposing us, they’re not exposing the other team and they’re playing it safe as well.”
Wood takes steps toward return
The Rockets on Friday started the same lineup for a second consecutive game for the first time in February, sticking with the small lineup with P.J. Tucker at center and bringing Justin Patton, their only healthy center, off the bench.
Though Pascal Siakam, who had been starting at center for the Raptors, was out, Silas said he preferred to keep Patton in his current role.
“We have one center, and he’s been here for three days, straight from the G League bubble,” he said. “So putting him in the starting lineup isn’t ideal for us right now. Who knows what happens in the future? We are hoping that Christian ( Wood) comes back sooner than later so that we’ll be big the majority of the time and then smaller when necessary. It’s necessary for us to be smaller right now.”
Wood missed a 10th consecutive game with a sprained right ankle. He hoped he would play before the first half of the schedule concludes Wednesday against the Nets, but the Rockets have not put a timetable on when he might play.
“He looked better today,” Silas said. “He was doing some things on the court, probably half speed. He’s moving in the right direction, but … I don’t know where it will go from going 50 percent to 100 percent, how long that takes. It’s going to be important over the break for him to continue his progress.”
Duo impressing in the G League
The Rockets maintain the plan to wait until after the G League season to recall Kevin Porter Jr. and KJ Martin from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, but there seemed hope they will get playing time.
“KJ’s been really good,” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said. “K.P. had been really, really good. Those guys are going to come back after All-Star break, I believe. Hopefully they’ll be back on when we start back up.
“It really depends on Christian ( Wood) and his availability for KJ and kind of what that looks like as far as him playing some small-ball five and some four. For K.P., it’s a little different. He can kind of get in some backup point guard minutes.”
Porter Jr. has averaged 23.7 points and 7.4 assists for the Vipers going into Friday’s game. Martin, out with an ankle sprain, averages 19.4 points on 49.3 percent shooting and leads the Vipers in rebounding, with 12.4 rebounds per game.