Celtics Playoff Game Postponed In Second Day Of NBA Boycotts

ORLANDO, FL — A second straight day of NBA player boycotts in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin included the postponement of the Boston Celtics series opener against the Toronto Raptors in Orlando Thursday night.

The postponement of the three Thursday playoff games followed Wednesday's seminal boycott when the Milwaukee Bucks refused to take the court for their game against the Orlando Magic in protest of the shooting.

NBA players met late Thursday morning in the Orlando playoff bubble and decided on the second day of boycotts — with the playoffs expected to resume either Friday or Saturday. The NBA issued a statement Thursday afternoon saying that a video conference would be held late in the day with owners from the 13 teams still playing, members of the NBA Players Association and NBA Labor Relations Committee Chairman Michael Jordan to discuss the next steps.

The NHL on Thursday announced its playoff games in Toronto and Edmonton Thursday and Friday were also postponed. The NHL went ahead with its slate on Wednesday with a moment of reflection held prior to Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Boston Bruins and the Tampa Bay Lightning, but the next day postponed Game 4 of that series scheduled for Friday.

The Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays postponed their game scheduled for Buffalo Thursday night. Three MLB games were postponed on Wednesday, while the Red Sox and Blue Jays played their game as scheduled.

Celtics forward Jaylen Brown was reportedly among the players who spoke in support of the Bucks' unexpected boycott Wednesday after posting on social media on Tuesday: "I want to go protest."

Boston's next game in the Eastern Conference semifinals, which was scheduled for Saturday, is expected to be played as Game 1 of the series on Sunday.

In solidarity with our players and NBA family. pic.twitter.com/Vu66Ti0ZwV
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) August 27, 2020

The Boston College football team canceled its practice on Thursday and instead held a team discussion.

"Boston College football decided as a program not to practice today in response to the continuing racial injustice in our country," BC football said in a statement. "Instead of practicing, the team met together as student-athletes and coaches spoke about educating one another, maintaining dialogue to help bring out community together, and invoking change in our society."

Tennis star Naomi Osaka chose to sit out her matches in the Western & Southern Open in New York this week to protest what she called "the continued genocide of Black people." The entire tournament was later suspended.

Wednesday's WNBA and MLS games were also postponed. The Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets and Washington football team were among the NFL squads that canceled practice in protest on Thursday after the Detroit Lions did so on Wednesday.

The New England Patriots held their scheduled practice on Thursday.

More Patch Coverage: Celtics Deliver Strong Show Of Support For NBA Playoff Boycott

Milwaukee Bucks Lead Sports Boycott Over Jacob Blake Shooting