NBA postpones Mavericks-Pelicans, Celtics-Bulls due to COVID-19 health and safety issues

Two games have been postponed due to ongoing COVID-19 issues, the NBA announced. Monday night’s game between the Dallas Mavericks and the New Orleans Pelicans has been postponed, as has Tuesday’s game between the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls.

This is the second time in two days that the Celtics have been involved in a postponement. Their game against the Miami Heat on Sunday was postponed, reportedly because Miami didn’t have enough players available due to contact tracing. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, that’s why the game between the Mavericks and Pelicans was postponed.

The Celtics also had significant personnel issues. Seven of the nine players on the Celtics’ injury report on Sunday were out due to contact tracing or a positive COVID-19 test. They were down to the NBA minimum of eight eligible players.

The NBA has now postponed four games since the season started three weeks ago, but three of those games have been postponed in the last 24 hours. While they have “no plans to pause the season,” they announced in Monday’s news release that they’ll be meeting with the NBPA to modify the league’s health and safety protocols.

More from Yahoo Sports:

• Browns stun Steelers for first playoff win since Belichick

• Robinson: Steelers have a Big Ben issue they must address

• Paylor: Trubisky’s exit from Chicago seems likely after loss

• Wetzel: Logo-stomping, old-school Ravens knock out Titans