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The Golden State Warriors will get an extra day off during their upcoming road trip. The NBA announced Friday’s game between the Dubs and Phoenix Suns is postponed because of the league’s health and safety protocols.
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The Suns won’t have the required minimum of eight players available for Friday’s game due to the COVID-19 contact tracing rules.
With the postponement, Golden State will only play twice on their trip. The Warriors play the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, then have three days off before taking on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 18.
The Dubs dealt with a coronavirus-related absence in Tuesday’s loss to the Indiana Pacers. Forward Eric Paschall missed the game because of the NBA’s health and safety protocols but is eligible to return after a false positive COVID-19 test result.
Overall, the league has done a commendable job of minimizing the positive tests.
16 new NBA players have tested positive for coronavirus out of 497 tested since Jan. 6, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 13, 2021
There have been a few games where teams were severely shorthanded due to the COVID-19 rules but that is expected while playing a season amidst a pandemic.
The added rest will be welcomed for a Warriors team that played seven games in 12 nights.