Dallas Mavericks COVID Cases on the Rise: Game vs. Pelicans Postponed

POSTPONED: COVID Forces Shutdown Of Mavs Vs. Pelicans As Dallas Doesn't Have Enough Healthy Players

DALLAS - Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle on Saturday said all involved "have got to remain calm'' as it relates to a growing COVID concern within the team. But a day later, the concern increased, and the Mavs shut down their facility.

And now on Monday at midday, the NBA has declared a further shutdown, as the Mavs, lacking eight eligible players, will see a postponement of tonight's scheduled visit from New Orleans.

Update: Two more rotational players for Dallas have tested positive for COVID on Monday, bringing the Mavs' total COVID cases to four, according to multiple reports.

Maxi Kleber is the latest name involved, and due to NBA “health and safety” protocols, the team HQ closed on Sunday. A trio of other Mavs were already dealing with COVID issues, causing Carlisle to say, “We’re all dealing with a vast set of circumstances, so we’ve got to remain calm, and we’ve always got to have a plan for adversity. We’ve been expecting that this sort of thing was certainly a realistic possibility, and now we’re dealing with it.”

READ MORE: Shorthanded Dallas Mavs Beat Orlando

But the next step of "dealing''? Kleber played in the Saturday night win at the AAC over Orlando. ... and obviously came in contact with virtually everybody involved with the team. We noted over the weekend that that could cause an expanded approach when it comes to "health and safety,'' including more positive tests and the possibility of a shutdown that extends into Monday, when Dallas has a another home game scheduled against New Orleans.

And here we are.

While Carlisle's 'stay calm' remark is important, so is the https://t.co/NVriu87nsW observation by our @PostinsPostcard - 1 positive COVID guy, playing with a dozen others in a #Mavs game ... can mean a team-wide outbreak .. and all the ramifications that go with that. https://t.co/tEtAvsPnAQ

— fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) January 10, 2021

READ MORE: Three Mavs in COVID Quarantine

Already involved in COVID testing were Josh Richardson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Jalen Brunson; that trio was left in Denver earlier this week due to the issue.