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Nuggets React To Suspension Of NBA Season: 'Just Hope We Can Figure This Out'

(CBS4/AP) - Wednesday night's Denver Nuggets-Dallas Mavericks game wound up being the last game completed in the NBA after the league's decision to suspend the season due to the spread of coronavirus.

The final score -- Mavs 113, Nugggets 97 -- wound up being secondary considering the suspension which is "until further notice" after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. On Friday Donovan Mitchell, a teammate of Gobert's, reportedly tested positive as well.

Nuggets forward Paul Millsap and other players found out about the situation in the third quarter of the game in Dallas. He described it as a "scary situation" and said everybody in their locker room was in shock not really knowing what to think.

"Unfortunate events obviously, but I think it's a smart move for the NBA to do this," Millsap said. "The safety of the players and safety of the fans is important, so I think it's the best thing for us to do right now. We'll just wait and see what happens."

Denver Nuggets Media Day
Paul Millsap #4 and Gary Harris #14 of the Denver Nuggets poses for a portrait during the Denver Nuggets Media Day at Pepsi Center on September 30, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (credit: Justin Tafoya/Getty Images)

Instead of flying to San Antonio as scheduled, the Nuggets went home Wednesday night.

"We support the league's decision. Obviously putting the players, officials, the fans, the coaches, the staffs' best interest at heart," Denver coach Mike Malone said. "We have to try to get our minds wrapped around what this coronavirus is doing, so we support their decision and we'll wait to hear word on them as to what this means moving forward because honest to God, I have no idea. And I just hope that we can figure this out and get back to playing basketball in a timely manner when it's deemed safe."

(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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