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Pistons vs. Raptors 'Tentatively Rescheduled' for Wednesday Because of COVID-19
March 2, 2021
The NBA is postponing another game as it continues its 2020-21 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The league announced Tuesday's game between the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons was "tentatively rescheduled" for Wednesday. "The game is being postponed tomorrow because of positive tests and ongoing contact tracing within the Raptors organization," the announcement read.
Toronto's game against the Chicago Bulls that was scheduled for this past Sunday was also postponed.
The NBA's announcement about the Bulls game noted the Raptors did not have the required eight players available to take the court.
They were missing Pascal Siakam and six coaches, including head coach Nick Nurse, during Friday's game against the Houston Rockets because of the health and safety protocols. That did not stop Toronto from winning 122-111 behind a triple-double from Kyle Lowry and 30 points from Norman Powell.
Sam Quinn of CBS Sports noted the NBA has postponed 30 games as a result of health and safety protocols this season.
Fears that such a situation would come up during the pandemic are the primary reason the league did not release each team's full schedule all at once. It recently announced the second-half slate for teams, meaning there is less flexibility to work in postponed games than there was before the schedule was completed.
Toronto is 17-17 on the season, which is tied with the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat for the Nos. 5-7 seeds in the Eastern Conference. Detroit is 9-25, which is the worst record in the conference.
There are only four teams in the entire East with a winning record, meaning the Raptors can quickly climb up the standings if they can string together a handful of wins. They are also scheduled to face the Celtics (Thursday) prior to the All-Star break.