MIAMI — Vaccinated fans will soon have their own sections at Miami Heat games.

The Heat announced plans Tuesday to open two sections in their lower bowl only for fully vaccinated fans starting with an April 1 game against Golden State. They are the first NBA team to reveal such a plan, though other clubs are believed to be working on similar measures.

Masks will still be required, even for the vaccinated fans, but social distancing rules will be slightly relaxed in those areas.

The NBA told teams last week that such sections would be allowed, under very specific conditions and in accordance with local and state health and safety guidelines. If any of the sections provided by teams include seats within 30 feet of the court, fans in those seats will have to take a PCR test two days prior to the game or an approved antigen test on game day.

“You’re already getting a sense that things are starting to change and go in a much more positive direction,” Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Just the environment in our building, I remember those first couple games we had at the beginning of the year when there was literally nobody here, that was an eerie experience.”

The Heat are devoting two sections for the fully vaccinated fans, where pods of groups will be separated by just one seat. Those fans will be admitted through a separate gate and required to show their Centers for Disease Control vaccination card, or proof thereof, along with valid identification. Fans would have to have been fully vaccinated for at least 14 days to be eligible to be in those sections.

Miami has allowed a small number of fans to attend games for the past several weeks, plus has had virus-detecting dogs at entrances this season. The Heat are also one of three teams – New Orleans and Atlanta are the others – to publicly acknowledge in recent days that some players and staff members have started the vaccination process.

“Things are moving,” Spoelstra said. “All of us can’t wait until we get our building full again, and same thing for other arenas.”

By NBA rules for the vaccinated-only sections, children not yet eligible to receive the vaccine would not be permitted even if with parents or guardians who have been vaccinated.

Teams are also being encouraged to have dedicated concession and restroom areas for the vaccinated fans, and make efforts to limit any chance for those fans to commingle with others inside the arena.

HORNETS: The Hornets say rookie point guard LaMelo Ball underwent successful surgery on his fractured right wrist.

Ball’s wrist will be immobilized and he’ll be re-evaluated in four weeks, according a release from the team. The Hornets say additional updates will be provided at that time, although a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday that Ball is expected to miss the remainder of the season. /

The surgery was performed at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City by Dr. Michelle Carlson.

The Hornets’ regular season concludes May 16.

Ball sustained the injury during Charlotte’s loss to the Clippers on March 20.

The No. 3 overall selection in the NBA draft, Ball was having a strong rookie season averaging 15.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.59 steals per game in 41 contests. Ball ranks first in assists and steals, second in scoring and is tied for second in rebounds among rookies.

TUESDAY’S GAMES

NUGGETS 110, MAGIC 99: Nikola Jokic had 28 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for his 12th triple-double of the season, and Denver built a big lead before holding off host Orlando.

Denver had a 24-point advantage early in the second half that was trimmed to five. But the Nuggets won their sixth consecutive road game to tie a franchise record set twice previously, most recently in 2018.

The Nuggets also won their ninth straight against the Magic and for the 16th time in 18 meetings dating to the 2003-04 season.

The slumping Magic lost for the 11th time in 12 games and dropped to 9-14 at home.

KNICKS 131, WIZARDS 113: Julius Randle scored 37 points to spark New York to a win at home.

The All-Star was one of six players to finish in double figures for New York, which evened its record at 22-22. RJ Barrett scored 21, Alec Burks added 20 and Mitchell Robinson had 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Bradley Beal scored 22 points for the Wizards, who lost for the ninth time in 11 games.

SUNS 110, HEAT 100: Phoenix Suns won it seventh consecutive road games as Devin Booker scored 23 points and Deandre Ayton finished with 17 points and 16 rebounds.

Former Heat forward Jae Crowder scored 13 points for the Suns, who moved within two games of idle Utah for the top spot in the Western Conference.

Kendrick Nunn scored 25 points for Miami, which has dropped four in a row.

PELICANS 128, LAKERS 111: Brandon Ingram scored a season-high 36 points, Zion Williamson had 27 points and nine rebounds, and New Orleans won at home.

The 20-year-old Williamson became the first NBA player younger than 21 to score at least 20 points in 21 straight games, and he did so with his usual crowd-pleasing array of alley-oop dunks and quick, powerful drives to the hoop.

Ingram helped keep the Pelicans comfortably in front with 17 points in the third quarter, showcasing his mid-range repertoire of pull-ups, fades and turnaround jumpers.

Pelicans guard Josh Hart – like Ingram an ex-Laker who was part of the trade that sent Anthony Davis to Los Angeles – grabbed 15 rebounds to go with five steals.

The Lakers, struggling without stars LeBron James and Davis, lost their third straight.