Warriors vs. Nuggets Postponed Because of Denver's COVID-19 Outbreak

The NBA postponed Thursday's game between the Golden State Warriors and the Denver Nuggets.

The Nuggets were racing against the clock leading up to the 9:30 p.m. ET tipoff in order to have the minimum eight players required to play.

Warriors star Draymond Green spoke about his frustration with the situation:

Denver's next game is Saturday at the Houston Rockets.

Thursday's postponement doesn't come as a surprise after ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Nuggets head coach Michael Malone and two of his assistants entered the health and safety protocols. The team also lost Jeff Green and Zeke Nnaji and guard Bones Hyland for the same reason.

This is Denver's first postponement because of COVID-related problems within its own roster. A Dec. 19 clash with the Brooklyn Nets will need to be rescheduled because the Nets couldn't field eight available players.

Eleven games around the NBA have been postponed in total.

Commissioner Adam Silver told ESPN's Malika Andrews on Dec. 21 the league hadn't yet engaged in any serious conversations about pausing the season.

As Green alluded to, the NBA is instead adapting on the fly.

The league and players' union agreed to amend the return-to-play protocols and lessened the minimum quarantine period from 10 days to six. Players and coaches who are asymptomatic and fulfill testing requirements can leave isolation after six days.

The step came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention halved their recommended isolation window for asymptomatic carriers.