KISSIMMEE, Fla. — The Utah Jazz restarted the 2019-20 season on Thursday against the New Orleans Pelicans. It was a huge relief to be on the court again and to play meaningful basketball, no matter how weird the situation in the NBA’s bubble. But, there was still a door open that had to wait until Saturday to be closed.
On March 11, the Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder became linked in a way that no other two teams would when, moments before tip off in Oklahoma City, Utah center Rudy Gobert’s COVID-19 diagnosis set the wheels in motion for the suspension of the NBA season and the eventual birth of the bubble.