DENVER (CBS SF) – NBA officials announced that Thursday night’s game between the Golden State Warriors and the Nuggets in Denver has been postponed due to COVID-19 protocols.
In a statement made hours before tipoff, the league said the Nuggets did not have the league-required eight available players to proceed. A makeup date was not immediately announced.
The following was released by the NBA: pic.twitter.com/GrxtY2ZzjU
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 30, 2021
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League officials did not specify which players have entered COVID-19 protocols. According to CBSSports.com, at least three Denver players, Jeff Green, Bones Hyland and Zeke Nnaji entered protocols Thursday.
The two teams previously played against each other on Tuesday night at the Chase Center in San Francisco, with the Warriors losing to the Nuggets 89-86.
Following the announcement, Warriors forward Draymond Green blasted the decision in a series of tweets, saying it puts the Warriors at a competitive disadvantage.
How do you continue to cancel games when you’ve implemented rules to prevent this from happening? Is that not a competitive advantage for other teams? The guys we didn’t have due to the protocol list played no role in Tuesdays loss? Pick a side but don’t straddle the fence.
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) December 30, 2021
So when the game is rescheduled(which will probably take a day away from our “break”), we wil play them at full strength… But they got to sneak a win when we weren’t at full strength, only two days ago??? Let’s make it make some sense here.
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) December 30, 2021
Not to mention, this will more than likely add a back to back to our schedule, which is also advantage Denver.
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) December 30, 2021
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“How do you continue to cancel games when you’ve implemented rules to prevent this from happening? Is that not a competitive advantage for other teams? The guys we didn’t have due to the protocol list played no role in Tuesdays loss? Pick a side but don’t straddle the fence,” said Green, who has been in COVID-19 protocols since December 26.
Even with the postponement, Warriors players were at the arena in Denver on Thursday and practicing.
Since the start of the NBA season, ten other games across the league have been postponed due to COVID-19 protocols. A video shot by the Warriors showed Klay Thompson, who has not played since he was injured during the 2019 NBA finals, among the players taking part.
? in the gym pic.twitter.com/r9LRXkSstY
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 31, 2021
The Warriors are next scheduled to play against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City on Saturday.
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