As the players prepared for tipoff of Wednesday night’s game between the Utah Jazz and the host Oklahoma City Thunder, the proceedings were halted quickly.
Teams retreated to their locker rooms to a chorus of boos at Chesapeake Energy Arena. About 30 minutes later, it was announced the game would be postponed and scheduled for a later date.
A short time later, the NBA announced that its season was being suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Jazz later announced that one of their players preliminarily tested positive for COVID-19. ESPN reported that the player was Rudy Gobert, who had been declared inactive for the game earlier Wednesday because of an illness.
New York Knicks 136 – Atlanta Hawks 131 (OT)
Mitchell Robinson scored five of his 16 points in overtime to help visiting New York defeat Atlanta.
New York was led in scoring by Julius Randle with 33 points and 11 rebounds, his 30th double-double of the season, and rookie R.J. Barrett with 26 points. Mo Harkless added 14 points, six rebounds and six assists.
Atlanta was led by Trae Young with 42 points, 27 of them in the fourth quarter, and 11 assists. It was the 11th time this season that Young has scored 40-plus points. John Collins added 22 points and 15 rebounds for his 22nd double-double of the campaign. Jeff Teague and De’Andre Hunter both scored 15.
Philadelphia 76ers 124 – Detroit Pistons 106
Joel Embiid scored 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lift host Philadelphia past Detroit.
Embiid returned after a five-game absence caused by a sprained shoulder to propel the Sixers to their league-best 29th win in 31 home games, including 15 in a row. Al Horford added 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and Furkan Korkmaz contributed 17 points off the bench.
Christian Wood led the struggling Pistons with a career-high 32 points. Svi Mykhailuk added 16 while Langston Galloway and Thon Maker had 13 each.
Charlotte Hornets 109 – Miami Heat 98
Devonte’ Graham scored 30 points – including five in the final 2:25 — to lead Charlotte to a win over host Miami.
It was a rare home loss for the Heat. Miami has the NBA’s third-best home record at 27-5.
Heat guard Kendrick Nunn — who had been listed as questionable due to an illness — played and scored a team-high 24 points. Miami also got 23 points from Derrick Jones Jr. and 21 points, a game-high 10 assists and seven rebounds from Bam Adebayo.
Dallas Mavericks 113 – Denver Nuggets 97
Boban Marjanovic scored a career-best 31 points and collected a season-best 17 rebounds as Dallas recorded a victory over visiting Denver.
Luka Doncic added 28 points and nine assists for the Mavericks while Jamal Murray scored 25 points for the Nuggets.
Maxi Kleber scored 15 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. added 14 for the Mavericks, who had a 52-40 rebounding edge.
New Orleans Pelicans at Sacramento Kings, ppd.
The NBA postponed the scheduled game between New Orleans and host Sacramento after initially delaying what would have been the start of the contest.
Referee Courtney Kirkland was not on the court as game time neared. Kirkland worked Monday’s game between the Jazz and the Toronto Raptors. A Jazz player has tested preliminarily positive for the coronavirus.
After the teams left the court and officials huddled, it was announced through the PA system that the game was postponed.
–Field Level Media
