The Golden State Warriors plan to play Thursday's game against the Brooklyn Nets with no fans in attendance after an edict from the City of San Francisco hopes to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the team announced on Wednesday.
All events at the Chase Center through Mar. 21 will be canceled or postponed while the franchise continues to monitor the situation to determine the best steps of action.
San Francisco city Mayor London Breed said the Warriors were willing to comply and cooperate with a two-week limitation of gatherings and events over 1,000 people.
The Warriors are still meeting on this matter and are slated to get further directions from the league after a conference call that will take place on Wednesday afternoon. For now, the Chase Center is expected to be empty on Thursday, at which point they will travel for five road games.
The players are set to meet with members of team management to be updated on the city's latest edict, along with what could come following the aforementioned conference call, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Warriors could be severely affected if this ban extends longer than those two weeks. They will be forced to pivot immediately, considering the stakes with Kevin Durant's return to The Bay. They at first thought Durant would not travel with the Nets for what would be his first return since Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Head coach Jacque Vaughn later said Durant would travel with the team.
Given the empty stadium, it's less likely that a tribute is displayed in the jumbotron on Thursday, but rather something more private and personal to honor Durant — considering the empty seats at Chase Center.
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