NBA switches dates for Suns, Grizzlies home games


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(Photo by Garrett Ellwood / NBAE / Getty Images / AFP)

The NBA announced two 2020-21 season schedule changes Saturday, the latest moves in a campaign that has endured numerous rearrangements due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Oklahoma City at Memphis game, which had been set for an undecided date in the second half of the season starting in March, was booked for February 17.

A Golden State at Phoenix contest that had been postponed from January 15 will be played on March 4.

Ongoing COVID-19 contact tracing had depleted the host Suns, leaving Phoenix without the minimum eight players required for an NBA contest.

The league has had 22 postponements since the start of the campaign due to COVID-19 health and safety protocol issues.

Memphis has had six games postponed so far this season, five of them between January 20 and Saturday, when the Grizzlies returned to the court.

Oklahoma City had two games postponed, both due to issues involving the Thunder's opponent.

The Phoenix game was the only postponement so far for Golden State while the Suns missed three games in four days in January for lack of eight players due to contact tracing.