On the night of Feb. 17, first-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Chicago Bulls were supposed to face the improving and young Charlotte Hornets on the road as part of their current three-game road trip. But that meeting with the Hornets on the road will now be pushed back in the wake of novel coronavirus related issues on Charlotte’s side.
An official release from the NBA actually stated that it was the San Antonio Spurs that caused this COVID-19 delay for both themselves and the Hornets. Back on Feb. 14, the Spurs topped the Hornets by the final score of 122-110. Since then, a few Spurs have reportedly tested positive for COVID-19. And thus some members of the Hornets will face mandatory quarantine thanks to contact tracing through the league’s health and safety protocol.
What happened to the Chicago Bulls vs. Hornets
The Hornets in particular will have two games pushed back in the wake of these COVID-19 related issues. Their originally scheduled Feb. 17 meeting with the Bulls in Charlotte and a Feb. 19 matchup with superstar big man Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets will be pushed to a date yet to be determined.
There's a COVID outbreak on the Spurs pic.twitter.com/03MFaBfVaC
— John Karalis 🇬🇷🇺🇦 (@John_Karalis) February 16, 2021
Meanwhile, the Spurs will have three games pushed back in the wake of these COVID-19 related issues. They had a road trip coming up against the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, and Indiana Pacers, scheduled for Feb. 17 through 22 that will now be delayed to a date yet to be determined.
The Hornets are the first team since the Memphis Grizzlies a few weeks back that caused a COVID-19 related delay for a scheduled game against the Bulls. That means that the next game up for the Bulls, as of the early afternoon of Feb. 16, will come against the surging Philadelphia 76ers on the road on the night of Feb. 19.
The last game for the Bulls resulted in a nice road overtime win on the night of Feb. 15 over the divisional foe Pacers, by the final score of 120-112. The Bulls now sport a record of 11-15, having won three of their last four games.