AP Source: Majority of NBA owners leaning toward playing without fans

MIAMI -- The majority of NBA owners are leaning toward a proposal to temporarily play games without fans in the buildings in response to the global concerns surrounding the coronavirus, a person with direct knowledge of the talks said.

NBA owners met via teleconference Wednesday and have more talks scheduled Thursday with the intention of finalizing plans so an announcement can be made by the league, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no details had been made public.

The owners discussed an option to temporarily suspend play of all games, but the idea of playing without fans — and stressing that it would be for the short term — is what received the most support.

Thursday's Brooklyn at Golden State game will be played without fans, but that will be because of local edict and not because of any leaguewide mandate. It also wasn't immediately clear how soon the NBA's mandate, should it be approved as expected, would take hold.