Minutes before the Pelicans and Kings were set to tip off, the game was postponed.
Kings players stood around on the court as they waited for the offiicial announcement over the PA. The Pelicans _ save for Lonzo Ball ? never even bothered coming out of the locker room.
Players apparently didn't feel comfortable playing the game because referee Courtney Kirkland _ who was set to officiate the game _ had worked the Jazz-Raptors game on Monday, according to the Athletic's Sam Amick. ESPN said that it was the Pelicans in particular who took issue with playing the game.
The announcement came in the wake of the NBA suspending its season after Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus.
