Suns' Deandre Ayton missed COVID-19 test on Sunday

ESPN reported on Monday that Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton sat during the first quarter of his team's afternoon showdown with the Oklahoma City Thunder because he missed a coronavirus test on Sunday. 

Per protocols for the NBA resumption held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex bubble site, the 22-year-old had to test negative for the virus on Monday to be cleared to play. Ayton returned the negative test result and entered the game versus OKC in the second quarter. 

Phoenix began the day 1.5 games behind the eighth-place Memphis Grizzlies in the race for the conference's final postseason berth. Ayton leads the Suns in rebounds (11.7 boards per game) and is second on Phoenix in scoring with 18.9 points per game. 

Phoenix had won five straight contests to begin the resumption of the 2019-20 campaign.