Pacers coach Rick Carlisle enters health and safety protocols, will miss multiple games

Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has entered the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols after testing positive on a rapid test following their 122-102 win against the New York Knicks on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. On Friday, the team announced that Carlisle’s PCR test confirmed he has COVID-19 and, as a result, he is expected to miss multiple games, starting with Friday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks.

Friday’s game, by the way, was scheduled to be Carlisle’s first matchup with the Dallas Mavericks, the team he coached for 13 seasons, before parting ways with the franchise in the offseason. With Carlisle unable to perform his duties as a result of the positive test, assistant coach Lloyd Pierce will fill in for him, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

On Thursday morning, the Pacers announced that they had canceled their scheduled practice due to health and safety protocols, citing “an abundance of caution.” Less than an hour later, the Toronto Raptors announced that they had canceled their scheduled practice for the same reason, using the same language. 

Also on Thursday, Derrick Jones Jr. of the Chicago Bulls entered health and safety protocols. Four of his teammates were already in the protocols. 

No one on the Raptors’ roster is officially isolating because of health and safety protocols as of yet. Indiana wing Justin Holiday has been in the protocols since Nov. 30. Around the league, the list of players in the protocols has grown recently, with five members of the Charlotte Hornets (LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, Mason Plumlee, Jalen McDaniels, Ish Smith), and five Bulls (DeMar DeRozan, Javonte Green, Coby White, Matt Thomas, Jones.) sidelined. Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies and Austin Rivers of the Denver Nuggets are also out due to health and safety protocols. 

Rivers’ teammates Bol Bol and Bones Hyland were recently cleared, as was Los Angeles Clippers forward Nicolas Batum.