NBA: Portland Trail Blazers close down practice facility after COVID-19 outbreak

Los Angeles: A COVID-19 outbreak on the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers has prompted the club to close its practice facility for cleaning and more testing, team general manager Neil Olshey said on Sunday. The move comes ahead of the Trail Blazers’ scheduled pre-season opener at home on Friday against the Sacramento Kings. Their NBA season begins 23 December at home against Utah. “Over the past four days, we have had three positive COVID test results within our organisation,” Olshey said in a statement. “Out of an abundance of caution, having completed contact tracing, we are closing our practice facility today for deep cleaning while we run confirmatory tests.” The NBA’s 2020-21 campaign is set to open on 22 December with pre-season matchups to start on Friday. Games will be played in home arenas rather than the bubble atmosphere where the 2019-20 campaign was completed in Orlando. The Trail Blazers went 35-39 last season and lost to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in the opening round of the NBA playoffs.