The Oklahoma City Thunder’s final game outside the bubble in the 2019-20 season was canceled after a positive coronavirus case. Now, its first game of the 2020-21 season has been postponed.
The NBA announced hours before tipoff on Wednesday afternoon that the Houston Rockets do not have eight players available for the matchup.
The majority of the unavailabilities are due to coronavirus contact tracing.
Rockets rookie KJ Martin tested positive for the coronavirus, which set off a string of tracing protocols among teammates who had gathered Tuesday for haircuts at a player’s apartment, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Martin is awaiting confirmation from the original positive test. Multiple other Rockets players, including John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Jae’Sean Tate, were at the apartment getting haircuts.
Ben McLemore has been away from the team for multiple days after testing positive for the coronavirus.
The NBA ruled James Harden unavailable due to a violation of the health and safety protocols. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported the league was reviewing video of him at a strip club, which Harden disputed and said over Instagram that he was at an event “to show love to my homegirl at her event (not a strip club). Because she is becoming a boss.”
The league’s statement said three Rockets players returned COVID-19 tests that were either positive or inconclusive. Four players are quarantined. Harden is unavailable and one other Rockets player is out due to injury.
Without eight available players, the Rockets are not allowed to play. The league suspended the game.
Oklahoma City’s next game is scheduled for Saturday at 6 p.m. against the Charlotte Hornets.
