Detroit — COVID concerns have led to the first game postponements in the NBA.
The NBA is postponing Tuesday’s matchup between the Pistons and Chicago Bulls, the league announced Monday afternoon.
The Bulls have been dealing with a slew of players in health and safety protocols, and apparently, the Bulls would have had trouble fielding a team with a minimum of eight available players, which led to the game being postponed.
The Bulls have 10 players in health and safety protocols, after Zach LaVine and Troy Brown Jr. were added to the COVID list on Sunday and on Monday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Alize Johnson tested positive and was entered health and safety protocols.
The Bulls’ matchup Thursday against the Toronto Raptors also has been postponed.
NBA rules dictate that a team must have a minimum of eight players available for a game, and the Bulls are at that number, with just Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, Tony Bradley, Devon Dotson, Tyler Cook, Marko Simonovic and Alfonzo McKinnie available.
McKinnie joined the roster as a hardship exception because of the spate of cases in the past week. Caruso also isn’t completely healthy, so if he were deemed unable to play, the game could be postponed.
Coby White was looking Monday to clear protocols and return to the roster, but likely out of an abundance of caution, the league opted to let the Bulls get the situation under control.
Rod.Beard@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @detnewsRodBeard