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Thursday’s slate of playoff games has been postponed, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported this morning.
Today's three playoff games will be postponed, source tells ESPN. Discussion underway on when teams will resume play. https://t.co/A2PazNKDhy
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 27, 2020
Woj reports that the Nuggets, Jazz, Celtics, Raptors, Clippers, and Mavericks will not participate in postseason play today in Orlando. This decision comes a day after the Magic, Bucks, Thunder, Rockets, Trail Blazers, and Lakers opted not to take the floor in Orlando.
Multiple reports state that a return to play is expected for the weekend, perhaps as soon as Friday. Those discussions are ongoing.
The strike comes on the heels of Sunday’s events in Kenosha, Wisconsin, when a police officer shot Blake, who was unarmed, seven times in the back as he opened the door of his vehicle. On Wednesday, Blake’s father reported that his son is now paralyzed from the waist down as a result of the shooting. On Wednesday it was announced that the United States Department of Justice would initiate a federal civil rights investigation into the incident.
The WNBA, NFL, and Major League Baseball have participated in similar displays of protest this week, with many teams opting not to play and several others canceling practices and demonstrating in other ways.