Grizzlies vs. Timberwolves Postponed amid COVID-19 Concerns

Friday's NBA contest between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzles has been postponed for health and safety reasons after the T-Wolves did not have a required eight players available, the league announced:

Tipoff was scheduled for 8 p.m. ET at the Target Center. 

It's the 13th postponement for the league this season and the third game originally scheduled for Friday to be delayed. A matchup between the Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons, as well as a contest featuring the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns were also called off.

The NBA mandates at least eight players must be available for each team in order to hold a game. 

That rule saw the Philadelphia 76ers fall to the Denver Nuggets last week with half of its bench unavailable to play. Head coach Doc Rivers used just seven players in the 115-103 loss. Each active Sixer played at least 24 minutes with three players on the floor for more than 40 minutes. 

It's unclear when the Grizzlies-Timberwolves game could be made up.

The NBA only released half of the league's schedule for each team ahead of the season to allow for likely postponements as it attempts to conduct its season in a pandemic outside of a bubble environment. 

For now, both teams will get an extra day of rest. 

The T-Wolves are scheduled to play at the Atlanta Hawks on Monday while the Grizzlies return home on Saturday to face the 76ers.