NBA Trail Blazers close facility after Covid-19 outbreak

BRISTOL, CT – NOVEMBER 18: A wide angle view of the draft stage with the Portland Trail Blazers hat during the 2020 NBA Draft on November 18, 2020 in Bristol, Connecticut at ESPN Headquarters. Copyright 2020 NBAE Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images/AFP

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — A Covid-19 outbreak on the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers has prompted the club to close its practice facility for cleaning and more testing, team general manager Neil Olshey said Sunday.

The move comes ahead of the Trail Blazers’ scheduled pre-season opener at home on Friday against the Sacramento Kings. Their NBA season begins December 23 at home against Utah.

“Over the past four days, we have had three positive Covid test results within our organization,” Olshey said in a statement.

“Out of an abundance of caution, having completed contact tracing, we are closing our practice facility today for deep cleaning while we run confirmatory tests.”

The NBA’s 2020-21 campaign is set to open on December 22 with pre-season matchups to start Friday. Games will be played in home arenas rather than the bubble atmosphere where the 2019-20 campaign was completed in Orlando.

The Trail Blazers went 35-39 last season and lost to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in the opening round of the NBA playoffs.