Warriors to host Nets without fans as San Francisco bans crowds of 1K or more

The Golden State Warriors will play Thursday's game against the Brooklyn Nets without fans in attendance in accordance with San Francisco's ban on gatherings of 1,000 people or more to combat the spread of the coronavirus, the team announced Wednesday.

Tickets for the game will be refunded. That will be part of the Warriors' significant financial losses, which team president and CEO Rick Welts estimates will be in the "multi-million-dollar" range, according to ESPN's Nick Friedell.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced the ban Wednesday. The measure will last two weeks. All other events scheduled to be held at Chase Center have been postponed through March 21.

In addition to Thursday's contest, the Warriors are planning to play foreseeable home games without fans present in accordance with the ban, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The order also coincides with the Warriors' March 25 matchup against the Atlanta Hawks.

The Warriors reportedly ignored the city's previous pleas to cancel games.

Beyond preventing media members from entering locker rooms - a practice that began across the NBA, NHL, MLB, and MLS on Tuesday - the NBA is reportedly holding a conference call with team owners and governors Wednesday. They're expected to discuss further countermeasures, including potentially suspending games altogether.

The NBA has also reportedly considered playing games in cities that haven't been affected by the coronavirus.

Other sports teams within California are also being impacted by preventative measures.

An MLB exhibition game between the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants, which was scheduled for March 24 at San Francisco's Oracle Park, has been canceled. Additionally, the NHL's San Jose Sharks are facing the prospect of playing home games without fans after Santa Clara County banned gathering of 1,000 or more people.