NBA postpones Thursday’s Raptors-Bulls game

Due to the number of players the Chicago Bulls currently have in the NBA’s COVID-related health and safety protocols, the league has postponed this Thursday’s Bulls-Raptors game that was originally scheduled to take place at Scotiabank Arena at 7:30 p.m.

The NBA has also postponed tomorrow’s Bulls home game against the Detroit Pistons.

Multiple Bulls players, including DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine. Although currently, the Bulls technically have the minimum required eight players available at the moment, the league wisely decided to act now rather than face a sudden, last-minute shutdown closer to game-time.

The postponements also hopefully mitigate the competitive disadvantage facing the shorthanded Bulls team.

It is, obviously, also much safer that way, although that doesn’t seem to have figured into the NBA’s thinking here; they’re a business after all. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that the Chicago Department of Public Health weighed in on the matter with the league, which might have finally prompted the postponement.

Things are getting a little scary right now as it concerns COVID and the NBA, and the raptors are not immune. President Masai Ujiri announced last week that he has a breakthrough case, Precious Achiuwa has entered the protocols thanks to a close contact, and anyone who attended the previous weekend’s Giants of Africa event or the Raptors-Wizards game has been urged to watch for symptoms.

COVID is still here and isn’t going away anytime soon. The NBA will of course continue, but as always, we urge everyone to take care, wear a mask, and get vaccinated.