The deadly coronavirus spreads like wildfire in the NBA, with Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle and Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri the latest high-profile personalities to test positive for COVID-19. Both Carlisle and Ujiri are fully vaccinated and have received booster shots.
Carlisle misses out on Mavs reunion
On Friday, the Pacers announced Carlisle's positive diagnosis with their head coach set to miss multiple games. That included Friday's game against the Dallas Mavericks, denying Carlisle the opportunity to face his former team, which he coached for 13 seasons.
On Thursday, Carlisle entered the league's health and safety protocols after returning a positive sample on his rapid test. The Pacers decided to cancel their practice for that day out of an abundance of caution, which was understandable given the spate of outbreaks hitting the other teams.
The 62-year-old Carlisle is in his second stint with Indiana. He coached the Pacers initially from 2003 to 2007, leading them to the playoffs in three of those four seasons. Carlisle then moved to Dallas, where he compiled an impressive 555-478 record through 13 seasons. He led Dallas to its first and only NBA title in 2011 and finished his career with the Mavericks as their career-leader in victories.
In Carlisle's absence, assistant coach Lloyd Pierce took over as head coach for the game against the Mavs. According to Pierce, Carlisle was bummed that he was not coaching against Dallas but understood the situation. Even new Mavs head coach Jason Kidd was upset that Carlisle was not on the bench for this contest, saying the emotion was taken out in this matchup.
The Pacers made sure Pierce's first game in charge of Indiana ended with a win as they cruised to a 106-93 victory over the Mavericks. Caris LeVert scored 26 points for Indiana while Domantas Sabonis dominated down low for the Pacers, registering a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
The Mavericks went on a 7-0 run in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 87, but the Pacers responded with a 19-6 run of their own to pull away in the end. The Pacers put the clamps on the Mavs' outside shooters as Dallas shot just 4 of 29 from beyond the arc.
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Ujiri tests positive after outbreak in Giants of Africa event
Masai Ujiri tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a Giants of Africa event on Sunday. Several guests in that gala returned positive tests for the coronavirus, making it highly possible that an outbreak occurred in that event. Ujiri made it clear in his statement, though, that the gala followed strict health protocols, with guests wearing masks when not eating or drinking.
Like the Pacers, the Raptors also canceled their practice on Thursday upon learning of Ujiri's positive test. Ujiri is currently self-isolating at home for 10 days.
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