Amid coronavirus fears, Rockets hope NBA games will continue

Like most NBA teams, the Houston Rockets seemingly prefer for games to be played without fans, as opposed to being postponed.

Amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in the United States, the Houston Rockets appear to be among the majority of NBA teams who prefer to play games in empty arenas, as opposed to postponements.

Late Tuesday, when asked about the potential of playing games without fans, Rockets CEO Tad Brown told RocketsWire:

Everything is on the table; everything has been discussed. We’re looking forward to continuing to play our games. We think that that’s the best course of action in an environment of being really prudent and responsible in how we do that.

Brown noted that a conference call among NBA owners was scheduled for Wednesday, in which various options would be discussed.

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According to ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski, the outcome of Wednesday’s conference call was a majority of owners supporting Brown’s apparent view — that playing games in empty arenas without fans is preferable to an extended hiatus of NBA games due to the virus.

Wojnarowski writes:

The owners talked via teleconference Wednesday and discussed ways to allow them to continue playing and televising games during the coronavirus outbreak, but the notion of the league doing so in empty arenas generated much greater consensus, sources said.

Several teams were willing to put the games on hiatus, but the rest wanted to move toward eliminating fans from arenas to continue playing games, sources tell ESPN.

Wojnarowski reports that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver “is expected to move in that direction,” with a final decision coming Thursday.

Earlier Wednesday, the City of Houston issued an emergency health declaration related to the virus, citing the first confirmed non-travel related case in the area. The declaration led to the complete closure of the famed Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

According to The New York Times, data as of Wednesday night showed 1,232 cases of coronavirus in the United States, including 37 deaths.

Assuming the NBA schedule continues, the next game for the Rockets (40-24) is set for Thursday night in Los Angeles against the Lakers (49-14). California has declared a state of emergency due to the virus.

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