Toronto Raptors virus issues worsen as Chicago Bulls game postponed

Two days after the Toronto Raptors beat the Houston Rockets with multiple coaches – including head coach Nick Nurse – and star forward Pascal Siakam seated due to NBA health and safety protocols, the Raptors have postponed Sunday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls because they couldn’t field the required eight players.

Now it’s unclear if Toronto will be able to return to the pitch before the All-Star break begins next weekend. The Raptors are expected to host the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday before heading to Boston to face the Celtics in their final game before the break.

There is, as of yet, no word on whether the Rockets’ Sunday night game in Houston against the Memphis Grizzlies will have to be postponed due to what is happening with the Raptors.

After the announcement of Nurse, her coaching staff and Siakam, all unavailable for Friday’s game, Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said the NBA – which determines whether or not games will be played – ultimately determined that its testing program was rigorous. enough for the Raptors and Rockets to play safely.

“We talked to the NBA,” Webster said. “One way to think about it is that we are tested twice in the morning, and so if those tests are negative, that gives you permission to participate in activities that day, and you can even take tests later. back in the day if that worries you. I think once the negative tests came back this afternoon, I think it gave the NBA the comfort that at least for today, we’re clear. “

And while the Raptors continued to win on Friday with veteran assistant Sergio Scariolo serving as head coach for the first time in an NBA game – after a decorated European and international career, including training at Real Madrid and, for more than a decade, leading the Spanish national team – that was only clear for this game.

This will be the first test of the NBA’s attempt to try to get each team to 72 games played this season. The league released its schedule for the second half of the season last week, one that saw several teams try to block a lot of games in a small number of days. In the case of the Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs, they are expected to play 40 games in 68 days.

Toronto, on the other hand, was scheduled to play 36 games in 67 days. This number will now increase by at least one, and potentially by three. While the goal of the NBA is to have each team play their 72 scheduled games, sources said the league is aware that all 30 teams may not be able to meet that number. There is limited flexibility in the schedule to add games or add dates to the schedule, as the NBA wants to complete the playoffs in time before the scheduled start of the Olympics in late July.

The league will host a truncated All-Star weekend in Atlanta in a week from today, combining its Saturday night events (the skills challenge, the 3-point contest, and the slam dunk contest) and the all-star game in one night in the face of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, the league has significantly tightened its health and safety protocols in recent weeks in an attempt to mitigate the spread of the virus. For several weeks this seemed to prevent any squad-wide outbreaks, but over the past two weeks the Spurs, Charlotte Hornets and now Raptors have had several games postponed due to the virus.