Two new positives among NBA players in last week of COVID-19 testing

Of the 455 players tested for the coronavirus between Feb. 17-24, two returned confirmed positive tests, the NBA and its players’ union announced on Wednesday in a press release.

After a COVID-19 outbreak among Spurs players contributed to an increase in positive tests last week, when five were reported, the league appears to be trending back in the right direction this week.

In the NBA’s latest injury report on Wednesday, 10 players were listed as out due to the health and safety protocols, but some of those players – including several Spurs and Jrue Holiday – reportedly tested positive in previous weeks, while others are believed to be affected by contact tracing and haven’t tested positive at all. As such, it’s not clear which two players were diagnosed with COVID-19 this week.

The league figures to be extra vigilant about trying to avoid positive tests after the All-Star break, since it may be difficult to make up any additional postponed games during an already-crowded second half. Teams like the Grizzlies and Spurs are scheduled to play 40 games in 68 days — if any of their contests are postponed, it will be tricky to squeeze them into the schedule without pushing back the end of the season.