INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle will miss Friday night’s game against Dallas after testing positive for COVID-19. Assistant coach Lloyd Pierce will take over in Carlisle’s absence.
It was unclear how many games Carlisle will miss but the Pacers expect it to be more than one.
The announcement comes one day after team officials canceled Thursday’s practice for precautionary reasons, citing the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
Carlisle was scheduled to face his former team just two days after he passed Larry Brown for second all-time in victories during the franchise’s NBA history. A second straight victory Wednesday gave Carlisle 192 career wins with Indiana.
He went 555-478 in 13 seasons with Dallas, setting a franchise record for victories while leading the Mavericks to their only NBA championship in 2010-11.
