The teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) are facing an increase in COVID-19 cases.
Despite this surge, the NBA has announced that it does not plan to temporarily suspend the 2020-2021 season. The game between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat was postponed on Sunday because Miami could not provide eight healthy players to participate in accordance with the league's protocols.
Mike Bass, a spokesperson for the league, stated to ESPN: "We anticipated postponing games this season and scheduled accordingly." He added, "There are no plans to halt the season, and we will continue to follow the guidance of medical experts and implement health protocols."
The Philadelphia 76ers played against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday with the minimum team of only eight players due to injuries and virus concerns. The league had previously postponed the game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets last month. The current season has been reduced to 72 games.
In contrast, the 2019-2020 season was completed in October last year after a four-month hiatus due to the pandemic when teams gathered in a bubble environment at Walt Disney World in Orlando. Notably, the Los Angeles Lakers won the title for the 17th time last season, tying the record on October 12 after defeating the Heat.
