LOS ANGELES - As part of the safety measures imposed by the NBA, Lakers' city rival, the LA Clippers, shut their team's practice facility down on Thursday after a member of the delegation going to Orlando for the season resumption tested positive with COVID-19 according to sources.
But based on sources, the Clippers could reopen the facility for individual workouts before the plan of the team to depart going to Florida on Wednesday, according to ESPN.
Moreover, The LA Times reported that,the Clippers are not the only ones that temporarily shut down their facility as members of the Brooklyn Nets and Denver Nuggets' traveling to Orlando tested positive with coronavirus.
Based on the protocol imposed by the league, each team is allowed to have 35 members per delegation to take part in the games comprised by the 22-team resumption at the NBA assigned campus at the Walt Disney World Resort.
The Clippers who are seeded 2nd in the Western Conference rankings are considered as one of the dark horses to take down championship favorites Los Angeles Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks who currently holds the league's best record before the pause due to the threat of the pandemic.
Nets' DeAndre Jordan tests positive for COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn Nets center DeAndre Jordan has tested positive with coronavirus that prompted him to opt-out for the pick-up games in Orlando.
Jordan also made clear to everyone that he will not be playing during the restart of games in Orlando, Florida.
Based on the sources, Jordan's agent together with Excel Sports informed the Brooklyn Nets management regarding Jordan's decision on Monday.
According to CBS Sports, not only Jordan tested positive with coronavirus but also the Nets rising star Spencer Dinwiddie, but according to a statement, he said that he has not yet ruled himself out officially from the games in Orlando.
The Nets' forward Wilson Chandler also opted out from the season's resumption on Sunday as he is more concerned about his family than playing in Orlando.
Before the results of their tests came out, Nets players shared the same sentiment with other NBA teams, and according to sources, they have discussed the possibility of sitting out during the restart of the season in Orlando.
Currently standing on the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference, the Nets who are ahead against the Orlando Magic by a half-game battles for positioning for the final playoff slots together with the 22 NBA teams that are scheduled to resume on July 30.
Before traveling to Orlando, each team franchise involved in the 22-team resume in Orlando is required to submit their final roster that includes eligible players that will be playing to the league organization on Wednesday.
The 22-team plan of the NBA includes teams that were holding playoff spots when the season stopped and within six games of a berth.
The three teams who clinched playoff berths prior to the season pause are the Milwaukee Bucks, the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, and reigning NBA champion Toronto.
Technically, nine teams only vie for the three remaining playoff berths wherein it is Brooklyn, Orlando, and Washington m, racing for two spots. And in the West, Memphis, Portland, New Orleans, Sacramento, Phoenix, and San Antonio who is battling for one spot.
