Pelicans-Kings Canceled Following News of NBA Suspending Season

Earlier Wednesday, a player on the Utah Jazz tested positive for coronavirus.

Wednesday night's Pelicans-Kings game has been canceled following news that the NBA is suspending play until further notice after a Jazz player tested positive for coronavirus. 

In the NBA's initial press release relaying news of the suspension, the league said that the suspension would occur following Wednesday's action. Pelicans-Kings was the only scheduled NBA game that had not started yet at the time of the announcement. 

"The National Basketball Association game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings scheduled for tonight at Golden 1 Center has been canceled," the league said in a statement. "The game was canceled out of an abundance of caution because one of the referees assigned to work in the game also worked a Utah Jazz game earlier this week."

Courtney Kirkland, one of the referees scheduled to work Wednesday's Pelicans-Kings game, was part of the crew for Monday night's game between the Jazz and the Toronto Raptors. Kirkland did not come out on the court prior to Wednesday's action.

Just before the league suspended action indefinitely, the Jazz-Thunder game was postponed. Players on both the Jazz and Thunder walked off the court just before tip-off of their contest, causing what was initially a more than 30-minute delay. The game was eventually called off. 

According to The Athletic's Tony Jones, players on the Thunder and Jazz were quarantined in their respective locker rooms shortly after the game was called off. 

In recent days, the spread of coronavirus has impacted countless sporting events throughout the world. A number teams and leagues have taken steps to try and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Multiple high-profile tournaments as well as individual games have restricted fan access while others have postponed or canceled events entirely.

The Athletic's Sam Amick reported Wednesday afternoon that the NBA has considered a number of possible alternatives in light of the compounding COVID-19 virus, including pushing its season back.

The league had reportedly been asking teams to give their arena schedules through the end of July, indicating the possibility of postponing play for at least a month is being explored. Typically, the NBA postseason ends in early June.