Positive COVID-19 cases among the Illawarra Hawks' squad has forced the NBL to postpone their clash with South East Melbourne Phoenix on the day of the game.
The Thursday night clash at Wollongong's WIN Entertainment Centre is the latest Australian sporting fixture to be impacted by the virus, after an A-League Men match and two FFA Cup quarter-finals were postponed on Wednesday.
"The health and safety of the players, coaches, clubs, staff and fans is the League's number one priority when considering these matters," an NBL statement read.
"The NBL will continue to follow the advice of governments and health authorities and further testing will be carried out on any individuals impacted or those deemed close contacts."
Next year's inaugural Super Rugby Pacific tournament will begin as separate Australian and New Zealand conferences due to New Zealand's strict quarantine demands on all visitors.
Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby confirmed the changes on Thursday that will result in the first nine rounds run as two separate conferences, with newcomers Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika based in NSW and Auckland respectively.
It comes as NSW recorded 5,715 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday as the number of people being admitted to hospital with the virus continues to rise.
It is the highest number of daily COVID-19 infections recorded in any Australian jurisdiction, almost 2,000 more than were recorded in the state on Wednesday.
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